I successfully completed every shipwreck nomination assigned to me during my last two weeks of the internship. Our team decided to combine two of the wreck-sites, U-166 and SS Robert E. Lee, into one battlefield site nomination. U-166 and SS Robert E. Lee were both engaged and sank due to the same war related conflict. Since both shipwrecks are within close proximity of one another and were involved in the same battle, the site can be justified as a battlefield site. Battlefield nominations are more complex than single site nominations, because they require extra research, time, and supporting evidence to prove the site to be an unequivocal icon of historical significance. This nomination is particularly special to me, because of the intense amount of research and writing that went into telling this amazing story.
At the end of my 10-week internship, I am proud to say that I accomplished what I set out to do and complete all 9 of my shipwreck nominations for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The majority of the shipwreck nominations sank in the Gulf of Mexico during World War II. Each nomination is more than a shipwreck site, but also a story of our past deserving to be told, remembered, and preserved for future generations to experience. Producing nominations for the NRHP is important, because if nobody is willing to tell the story then it could be lost forever.
- SS Halo
- SS M. Parker Jr.
- SS Alcoa Puritan
- SS Gulfpenn
- SS Virginia
- SS Robert E. Lee & U-166
- MV Sheherazade
- SS Gulfoil
- Steam Yacht Anona
Through this internship I have enhanced my skills as a researcher, writer, editor, and my overall professionalism. In the future, I hope to work again with the amazing teams at the American Conservation Experience (ACE), AmeriCorps, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Department of the Interior (DOI), and the National Park Service (NPS).