Lophelia II Shipwreck Component: End Game

Abstract

Abstract In 2008 the Minerals Management Service, now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement BOEM/BSEE in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), sanctioned a deepwater study in the Gulf of Mexico. Officially designated as the Deepwater Program: Natural and Artificial Hard Bottom Habitats with Emphasis on Coral Communities: Reefs, Rigs and Wrecks "Lophelia II", it is typically referred to as the "Lophelia II" Project. A substantial component of the contract was the examination of several deepwater shipwrecks. The "Wrecks" component of the project called for the archaeological examination of several shipwrecks as a continuation of the 2004 Deepwrecks Study in the Gulf of Mexico. These wrecks covered a broad time period from 19th century wooden sailing vessels to World War II era vessels. Between 2008 and 2010 three field seasons incorporated shipwreck investigation cruises that culminated in an Archaeological Assessment Report submitted as part of the larger Lophelia II Project Draft Report submitted to BOEM/BSEE in 2013. This presentation will provide a final analysis of the Lophelia II shipwreck sites based on data acquired between 2008 and 2010. In addition to the shipwreck findings, it will also present an analysis of the project itself and provide recommendations for future deepwater shipwreck studies of this type.