In the 1960s, with increased public interest in underwater archaeology, the National Park Service began a program to investigate and protect significant shipwrecks and other submerged resources in the national park system. As the awareness of the richness and importance of these submerged resources increased among park managers, this activity accelerated, culminating in the creation of a formal program in 1972. The Southeast Archaeological Center (SEAC) was originally chosen to initiate the program due to its proximity to coastal parks and because of its established partnership with Florida State University's underwater archaeology program. 

Today, SEAC continues to conduct shipwreck investigations in conjunction with FSU's underwater archaeology program. These cooperating activities include field schools on sites such as HMS Fowey (lost in 1748), Nuestra Senora del Populo, and Nuestra Senora del Rosario. The majority of underwater work in national parks is carried out by the NPS Submerged Resources Unit, based in Sante Fe, New Mexico. 

Special Focus Sites in Southeastern U.S. Prehistory and History:
• The Aucilla River Prehistory Project, Florida
• Little Salt Spring Prehistoric Site
• The U.S. Naval Historical Center's Underwater Archaeology Branch
• The HL Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy vessel
  
- Background on the H.L. Hunley
- Friends of the Hunley Web Site
- National Geographic- The HL Hunley, Secret Weapon of the Confederacy

• L'épave du CSS Alabama
- Background on the CSS Alabama

Related WWW Links:
• Univ. of Texas-Austin's Guide to Underwater Archaeology Resources on the Internet
• FSU's Directory of Underwater Archaeology on the World Wide Web
• NPS Submerged Resources Unit
• The USS Arizona Revisited
• Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center
• SHA's Underwater News
   

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