The 2008 Battle of Atlantic Expedition was announced as one of the winners of this yearís Secretary of the Department of Interiorís Partners in Conservation Award.

The project included 17 persons and 7 institutions. The citation states: "The expedition is an exceptional collaboration among federal, state, and academic entities to strengthen research efforts and to document historically significant shipwreck sites associated with World War II losses off the North Carolina coast."

Congratulations to all! Special thanks to Dave Alberg for his leadership in making the project happen and Tane Casserley as Co-Principal Investigator. Other NOAA participants named are: Joe Hoyt, Jeff Johnston, Shannon Ricles, Lauren Heeseman, Roger Mays, Chad Meckley (Gray's Reef NMS - Vessel Operations Coordinator), and Todd Recicar (Gray's Reef NMS - Vessel Operations Manager). The award will be given by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior in Washington DC on May 7, 2009.

For further information on the expedition: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/missions/battleoftheatlantic/. For more information, please contact david.alberg@noaa.gov.