IMH PROJECTS

SHIP: Submerged Historical Inventory Project

Sonar image of a 1912 wreck in Maryland.

The Institute of Maritime History is conducting a multi-state project under the supervision of State Historic Preservation Officers to use volunteer divers and researchers to scout for shipwrecks, assess them, gather archival data, and report their findings.

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Achill Island

Divers at work on the Parnell wreck .

The Institute of Maritime History, in conjunction with the College of William & Mary, is conducting a maritime archaeological survey of Achill Island, Ireland’s largest and westernmost island, located off the remote coast of County Mayo. This project was initiated in 2004, and its third field season will commence in the summer of 2006. The treacherous waters around Achill have claimed hundreds of shipwrecks over the centuries, including three Spanish Armada galleons and over a hundred vessels dating to the nineteenth century. In addition, Achill’s coastline features a variety of other maritime sites, including coastal fortifications dating from the Iron Age through the sixteenth century, the remains of nineteenth century commercial fishing and Coastguard stations, and a wide variety of traditional vernacular watercraft. The objective of the Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project is to survey the maritime landscape in order to locate, investigate, and better understand this island’s rich maritime heritage.

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