This volume initiates a new series of books on maritime or underwater
archaeology, and as the editor of the series I welcome its appearance
with great excitement. It is appropriate that the first book of the
series is a collection of articles intended for gradu- ate or
undergraduate courses in underwater archaeology, since the growth in
academic opportunities for students is an important sign of the vitality
of this subdiscipline. The layman will enjoy the book as well. Academic
and public interest in shipwrecks and other submerged archaeological
sites is indicated by a number of factors. Every year there are 80 to 90
research papers presented at the Society for Historical Archaeology's
Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology, and the Proceedings
are published. Public interest is shown by extensive press coverage of
shipwreck investigations. One of the most important advances in recent
years has been the passage of the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987, for
the first time providing national-level law con- cerning underwater
archeological sites. The legislation has withstood a number of legal
challenges by commercial treasure salvors, a very hopeful sign for the
long-term pres- ervation of this nonrenewable type of cultural resource.
The underwater archaeological discoveries of 1995 were particularly
noteworthy. The Texas Historical Commission discovered the Belle, one of
La Salle's ships, and the CSS Hunley was found by a joint project of
South Carolina and a private nonprofit organization called NUMA.