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Historic shipwrecks in the Mexican Gulf protected
US government updated guidelines protecting historical sites on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The first USS Hatteras was a heavy steamer purchased by the Union Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War. She sank in approximately 18 m (60 ft) of water 32 km (20 mi) off of Galveston, Texas
DailyComet.com | US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management | Feds update historic shipwreck protections | 01-04-2012
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimates there are more than 2,100 historic shipwrecks in the Gulfâs federal waters.
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The government is moving away from this idea of a âhigh probability predictive modelâ of where shipwrecks are likely to be, to understanding that shipwrecks can be anywhere there is water, anywhere that ships go
”—Robert Church, a marine archaeologist with C&C Technologies in Lafayette
The update, issued Thursday, adds new portions of the ocean floor that are considered likely locations for shipwrecks. Those designated blocks of ocean floor require surveys and archaeological reports prior to drilling.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Tommy Beaudreau says the update was prompted by ânew information, recent discoveries and advances in hydrographic survey technology.â Without first surveying blocks, oil-and-gas companies may disrupt historic sites without even realizing it.
The shipwrecks in the Gulf date as far back as early Spanish explorers and as recently as 50 years ago. In 2001, the U-166, a famed World War II era German submarine, was found 140 miles from where it was thought to have sunk.
Primary source âș Feds update historic shipwreck protections
Further reading âș BOEM and BSEE Update Guidance for Offshore Archaeological Protection
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