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Maritime
Archaeology
The
unique islands and atolls of the NWHI, due to their isolation, are
reserves for ecosystem diversity, and the intelligent
management of their natural resources is of critical concern. The NWHI
also possess a rich maritime history and special non-renewable resources…submerged
maritime heritage resources, such as shipwrecks, sunken aircraft, and
other archaeological sites. Such historic sites are like windows into
the past. There are currently 52 known vessels lost within the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands, but who knows how many more have yet to be discovered
Houei Maru #5 shipwreck at Kure Atoll. Photo by
James Watt
The
islands and reefs to the northwest of Hawaii have been a veritable
graveyard of marine disaster. The two sufficient reasons for this have
been, first, the low, inconspicuous character of the islands, and,
second,
the faulty or insufficient location of them on the marine charts. The
menace of the iceberg is the fact that it lies seven-eighths underwater
and you strike some submerged, protruding spur of it before you dream
of danger. In a much more disastrous way the same thing is true of
many of these islands. (Reverend J.M. Lydgate, 1915)
NOAA’s
Maritime Heritage Program
NOAA’s
National Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase the public awareness
of America’s maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring,
exploration and educational programs. This heritage component is supported
by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 USC 1431) which states: “…a
federal program which establishes areas of the marine environment which have
special conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, cultural, archeological,
scientific, educational, or esthetic qualities as national marine sanctuaries
managed as the National Marine Sanctuary System.”
Today,
13 national marine sanctuaries encompass more than 18,000 square miles
of America’s ocean
and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources. NOAA’s
Maritime Heritage Program, formally created in 2002, is dedicated to the
protection of historic shipwrecks and other submerged archaeological sites
within sanctuary
boundaries.
As
with natural resources, numerous user and interest groups—from
archaeologists to recreational divers to salvors—seek to interact with
maritime heritage resources (shipwrecks, sunken aircraft, submerged archaeological
sites etc.)
in various ways. These resources are also impacted by the elements (storms,
currents, corrosion etc.). Therefore, responsible and informed decisions
must be made on
how to manage these resources since, unlike living resources, such sites
are non-renewable. Additionally, the maritime heritage resources within NOAA’s
National Marine Sanctuaries, if properly studied and interpreted, can add
an extra dimension to our education programs designed to increase public
enjoyment
and appreciation of sanctuary resources.
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