Oct. 26, 2022

Navy and NOAA Search for U.S. Schooner Alligator near the 200th Anniversary of Its Loss

In early September 2022, Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) collaborated on a project to locate and study one of the U.S. Navy’s historic wrecks from the early 19th century, the schooner Alligator. The two week project, which took place in

Jan. 27, 2022

Once Above, Now Below: Archaeological Investigations of Two Early 1950s Naval Aircraft Wrecks off Pensacola

For northwestern Florida, naval flight training began in 1914 with the arrival of the newly formed aviation unit consisting of nine officers, twenty-three enlisted men, and seven aircraft. Under the direction of Lt. John Towers and Lt. Commander Henry C. Mustin, the unit arrived at the Pensacola Navy Yard in January aboard the battleship

Jan. 27, 2022

Once Above, Now Below: Archaeological Investigations of Two Early 1950s Naval Aircraft Wrecks off Pensacola

For northwestern Florida, naval flight training began in 1914 with the arrival of the newly formed aviation unit consisting of nine officers, twenty-three enlisted men, and seven aircraft. Under the direction of Lt. John Towers and Lt. Commander Henry C. Mustin, the unit arrived at the Pensacola Navy Yard in January aboard the battleship

Nov. 2, 2021

Bearcat in the Chesapeake: Navy’s underwater investigation of a prototype fighter aircraft

Grumman’s F8F Bearcat was lightweight fighter designed to operate from smaller naval aircraft carriers and had a higher rate of climb than its predecessor, the F6F Hellcat. Prototypes were tested starting in 1944, but they were not ready in time to see action in World War II. Noted for their speed and agility, postwar Bearcats became a significant

June 11, 2021

Perry's Revenge — A Continued Look at the Wreck of an Early 19th-Century Naval Schooner off the Coast of Rhode Island

Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) archaeologists collaborated with Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) engineers during the second half of May 2021 to continue documenting the remains of Oliver Hazard Perry's schooner Revenge, which wrecked off of Watch Hill, Rhode Island in 1811. The team, along with local site discoverers, Charles Buffum

April 26, 2021

NHHC Archaeology by Land and By Sea (and Now by Air)

Naval History and Heritage Command's Underwater Archaeology Branch (UA) collaborated with NAVAIR UX-24 last week to complete an aerial magnetometer survey over a marshy section of the Patuxent River, where it is thought remains of naval vessels from the War of 1812 are buried.

June 17, 2020

Twenty Years of Fostering Research on Naval Heritage: The NHHC Permitting Program

Caption: Blair Atcheson and George Schwarz, underwater archaeologists with NHHC, prepare a magnetometer to survey the potential USS Revenge wreck on Dec. 7, 2015. (U.S. Navy photo by Heather Brown/Released)...

Oct. 9, 2018

Perry's Revenge Revisited

Last week, the U.S. Navy returned to Rhode Island to continue the archaeological investigation of the site believed to be the remains of Oliver Hazard Perry's schooner Revenge. The 2018 fieldwork builds upon remote sensing surveys conducted in 2012 and 2015 and last year's diver documentation and cannon recovery. Research this year involved

April 11, 2018

Conservators in Action: Uncovering Secrets of the Suspected Revenge Cannon - Part II

Many have been waiting for an update from our last blog post about the ongoing efforts to conserve a cannon recovered from the suspected wreck site of the 14-gun U.S. naval schooner Revenge. Well, the wait is over! Archaeological conservators at the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Underwater Archaeology (UA) Branch have been carefully

Sept. 13, 2017

Surveying Sunken WWI Ship USS San Diego

"You're holding onto a $500,000 sonar head. Don't drop it."These were the words of encouragement I received from Tim Pilegard, a graduate student at the University of Delaware. At that moment, Tim and I were struggling to bolt the sonar onto the side of the R/V Joanne Daiber, University of Delaware's 46 foot research vessel.After several failed