Nautical Archaeology Program

In 2010, Croatian divers discovered the wreck of the B-24 Liberator Tulsamerican, a WWII aircraft financed and built by the Tulsa, Oklahoma community as the last of its type produced in the local Douglas factory. Archaeologists are now in the process of preserving the heritage and physical remains of the site. The traditional methods of producing a large-scale 3D map of the site for local aviation museum display is difficult due to the 130 foot depth, and ROV technology can assist where diving becomes impractical. This presentation will discuss the role of the ROV in mapping archaeological sites and 3D modeling of this aircraft in-situ.

USS Macon, the last large Navy airship, was lost along with the bi-planes it carried off the Coast of California in 1935. The wreck site was discovered in 1990 and surveyed in 1991, 1992, and 2006. Before the site was included within the boundaries of the Monterrey Bay National Marine Sanctuary a small diagnostic recovery effort was made and several artifacts were brought up, conserved, and then distributed to museums around the US. Twenty years later, that information is lost - it is unknown how and in what condition the artifacts arrived in the museums and not only what the conservation process was, but how it has held up over the years. This session describes rediscovering the life of underwater aviation archaeology artifacts from recovery to present day, as well as current documentation efforts, 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry, and the relevance of all these efforts.

Archaeologists are constantly exploring new ways to understand and preserve our history, which is some cases includes our recent past! Using archaeological methods to discover, document, and conserve aircraft adds an incredible amount of information to our knowledge base. For both underwater and terrestrial sites, archaeologists are adapting from established practices to develop aviation archaeology as a valuable sub-field. This presentation will include an introduction the the field and it's history, then a discussion on recent projects in documentation, recovery, conservation, and display.

Aviation archaeology as a field of study has struggled for academic, professional, and public acceptance since its beginning. In some ways, this sub-discipline of historical or underwater archaeology mirrors the development of nautical archaeology. Like nautical archaeologists who overcame the barrier of the oceans and pioneered methodology, the proponents of aviation archaeology use the discipline to overcome a barrier of historical perception and tradition. The practice of aviation archaeology, however, is fraught with opposing viewpoints and stakeholders often exhibit a non-collaborative attitude towards other groups and sometimes their own colleagues. These stakeholder groups are each focused on their own priorities, be they theory, methodology, conservation, display, or re-use, and each group is attempting to shape the future of aviation archaeology through their projects or publications. This paper is a critical evaluation of the current state of aviation archaeology, including its recent history, an identification of the stakeholders and concerns, a few trail-blazing projects, practice trends from academic to amateur, and the theory of interpretation and display.

Archaeologists are constantly exploring new ways to understand and preserve our history, which is some cases includes our recent past! Using archaeological methods to discover, document, and conserve aircraft adds an incredible amount of information to our knowledge base. For both underwater and terrestrial sites, archaeologists are adapting from established practices to develop aviation archaeology as a valuable sub-field. This presentation will include an introduction the the field and it's history, then a discussion on recent projects in documentation, recovery, conservation, and display.

In 1944, factory workers and community members from Tulsa, OK financed the last B-24 Liberator built by the Tulsa Douglas Aircraft plant. They named her Tulsamerican, signed and wrote messages on her fuselage, and sent her to Europe with a part Tulsa crew. She crashed off the coast of Croatia after a bombing mission but was never forgotten as a WWII community icon. After imaging and preservation surveys in 2014 and 2015, researchers are now preparing for the recovery of remains and personal effects of the three servicemen who lost their lives. Team members include archaeologists from Texas A&M and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, researchers from the Tulsa Air & Space Museum, and scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. This presentation will focus on the history of the project, the current partnership and future logistics, show 3D modeling of the aircraft in-situ, and discuss future plans for museum display.

Aviation archaeology is a relatively new, and to some, an unconventional sub-field of archaeology which uses archaeological methodology to study aircraft wreck sites. Newer still, is the application of aviation archaeology to document and conserve wrecks that come from the ocean.

Submerge wreck recoveries have been influenced by many variables, including logistical and practical limitations, and organizational viewpoints. For a successful recovery and modern display, the project director should be aware of the history of, and influences on, recoveries because they will impact the research, planning, and execution of projects.

The ideal methodologies for aviation archaeology sites are research goal-based and well-rounded, can include multiple types of documentation, and can sometimes incorporate expertise, tools, and technologies developed for other fields and adapted for aviation sites. Effectively planned and executed projects result in more story telling ability in the resulting display.

In 1944, factory workers and community members from Tulsa, OK financed the last B-24 Liberator built by the Tulsa Douglas Aircraft plant. They named her The Tulsamerican, signed and wrote messages on her fuselage, and sent her to Europe with a part Tulsa crew. She crashed off the coast of Croatia after a bombing mission, but was never forgotten as a WWII community icon.

After imaging and preservation surveys in 2014 and 2015, researchers are now preparing for the recovery of remains and personal effects of the three servicemen who lost their lives.

This presentation will focus on the history of the aircraft, the project, show 3D modeling of the aircraft in-situ, and discuss future plans for museum display.

Aviation archaeology as a field of study has struggled with competing academic, professional, and public definitions and priorities since its establishment. In some ways, this sub-discipline of historical or underwater archaeology mirrors the development of nautical archaeology. Like nautical archaeologists who overcame the barrier of the oceans and pioneered methodology to suit, the proponents of aviation archaeology have also used the discipline to overcome a barrier of historical perception and tradition. The practice of aviation archaeology, however, has been characterized by opposing viewpoints and stakeholders often exhibit a non-collaborative attitude towards other groups and sometimes their own colleagues. These stakeholder groups are each focused on their own priorities, be they theory, methodology, conservation, exhibition, or re-use, and each group is arguably attempting to shape the future of aviation archaeology through their projects or publications. This dissertation is a critical evaluation of the current state of aviation archaeology, including its history, stakeholders, literature, and defining projects. This leads to the identification of a series of best practices in aviation archaeology and a theory of interpretation and display of recovered aircraft.

Underwater archaeology in maritime museums is normally an established inclusion, but primarily used to explain what happened in the past or artifact history. Technology and collaboration can allow archaeology to be shown in real-time to museum audiences, allowing for live interaction between curious minds and knowledgeable specialists. As part of a partnership between Ocean Exploration Trust and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a series of shipwrecks were explored, surveyed, and in some cases, excavated live and streaming to the public 24 hours a day. Satellite link up to the ship also enabled connection to museums and their public audiences during opening hours, allowing for question and answer sessions while archaeologists were simultaneously exploring the shipwreck. By making the process visible to people as it happens, this kind of interaction is another way to make archaeology relevant to modern audiences, while encouraging science, marine biology, and technology topics.