Topics Related to Underwater Archaeology Branch

The City of Wilmington has a storied history of being a hub for blockade running during the Civil War, and was a city that blockade runners would go to great lengths to reach. Some vessels were instead captured rather than sunk, and these became part of the blockade itself. Such was the case with the iron screw steamer Peterhoff.

Whenever and wherever humans have roamed can hold a world of possibility to learn about our past. Underwater archaeologists study a specific part of human existence: how people have interacted with oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes.

The Underwater Archaeology Branch of the NC Office of State Archaeology has a history dating back to 1962 with the discovery of the blockade runner Modern Greece.