Underwater Archaeology Branch

The oldest of its kind in the United States and predating the Office of State Archaeology itself, the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch was established in 1962 in conjunction with the salvage and care of the Civil War blockage runner, Modern Greece. We are responsible for identifying, monitoring, and preserving underwater archaeological resources within rivers, coastal regions, and state waters. 

North Carolina has a long and rich maritime history. With over 300 miles of ocean shoreline, a vast inland sea, and thousands of miles of navigable rivers and creeks, the people of North Carolina have long relied on the state’s waters as a means of transportation, trade, and a source of livelihood. Coupled with this active maritime history, the treacherous geography of the North Carolina coast has led to countless shipwrecks. Naval warfare, particularly during the Civil War and World War II, has created additional losses.

Since our inception, we has made steady progress in our efforts to understand and manage the state’s submerged cultural resources. We have documented over 1,000 underwater archaeological sites that include prehistoric dugout canoes, colonial sailing vessels, beached shipwreck remains, dozens of Civil War shipwrecks, and nineteenth and twentieth-century steamboats. 

We conduct historical, archival, and cartographic research to identify historic shipwrecks and develop an understanding of North Carolina's maritime history. These activities include remote sensing surveys to locate endangered shipwrecks and underwater archaeological sites, diver investigations to document the sites, and analysis of material and information recovered from those sites. We maintain historical and archaeological records of known shipwrecks and new discoveries along our coast, which can be accessed by researchers and consultants by appointment.

Our archaeologists also perform Environmental Review for counties in the coastal plain as well as government sponsored projects, such as channel dredging conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and private development activities that require a permit from the USACE, or the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (CAMA).

Our facility at Fort Fisher State Historic Site includes a small conservation laboratory, where artifacts retrieved from seawater undergo special treatment prior to drying. A primary goal of the UAB Preservation Laboratory is to clean and stabilize waterlogged and salt contaminated artifacts. A conservator handles the initial identification of incoming artifacts and maintaining documentation that not only records the treatment but the physical characteristics of each artifact. These records are maintained throughout the treatment process, subsequent curation, and eventual loan for public display.