SeaResearchSociety.org has been doing shipwreck and treasure expeditions since 1972.
About SeaResearchSociety.org
Sea Research Society has been a source of valuable shipwreck and diving information for almost 40 years. The Society was chartered in 1972 as a non-profit organization for educational and research purposes and is tax-exempt under IRS regulation 501-C-3. It has thousands of members scattered through over two dozen countries. The president of Sea Research Society is underwater archaeologist Dr. E. Lee Spence. Dr. Spence is best known for his work on the wrecks of Civil War blockade runners and his discovery of the Hunley. The Hunley was the first submarine in history to actually sink an enemy ship. Its discovery has been described as the most important underwater archaeological find of the 20th Century. General
The Sea Research Society is a non-profit educational research organization founded in 1972. Its general purpose is to promote scientific and educational endeavors in any of the marine sciences or marine histories with the goal of obtaining knowledge for the ultimate benefit to mankind. It does both archival research and underwater expeditions, both scientific and in search of historic shipwrecks.
Founding Members
The Society’s founding board members included:
Luis Marden - National Geographic Magazine Mendel L. Peterson - Chief of Underwater Exploration, Smithsonian Institution Frédéric_Dumas - French underwater archaeologist of Jacques-Yves Cousteau fame Anders Franzén - Swedish underwater archaeologist and discoverer of the Swedish warship Vasa Ron A. Gibbs - Curator Armed Forces History, National Park Service Paul Tzimoulis - Publisher, Skin Diver Magazine Ed Bearss - Senior Historian, National Park Service Robert F. Marx - Undersea Explorer E. Lee Spence - Underwater Archaeology Editor, NAUI’s Diving World magazine Peter Throckmorton - “discoverer of the oldest known shipwreck” Pablo Bush Romero - President, CEDAM ...others of similar note.
Virtually all were published authors and internationally known for their work in underwater exploration, underwater archaeology, and shipwrecks. Several have been described as the “father of underwater archaeology.” Unfortunately, a number of the founding members are now deceased.
College of Marine Arts
The Society operated its educational program under its College of Marine Arts (first in Columbia,SC, then in Mount Pleasant, SC) from 1972 until 1978. It awarded five doctorates jure dignitatis in underwater archaeology.* The degree titled Doctor of Marine Histories (and is abbreviated as DMH or MHD). The Society (in conjunction with the International Diving Institute) is now offering a series of research, field and classroom courses leading to various levels of certification in diving, historic shipwreck research and underwater archaeology. The field programs offer students the opportunity to actually work on historic shipwrecks and other archaeological sites.
- Some degrees are awarded jure dignitatis. That is, a person who has demonstrated the appropriate qualities to be given a particular office may be awarded the degree by virtue of the office held. It is another kind of earned—but not strictly academic—degree.
