Preserving Our Submerged Heritage

With increasing awareness of America's underwater cultural heritage, the US National Park Service began documenting the location and condition of shipwrecks in the 1960's. This activity accelerated in the 1970's as park managers became more aware of the richness and international importance of submerged resources in the National Park System.

In 1980, the Submerged Cultural Resources Unit (known as SCRU) was formed and staffed by underwater archeologists and photographers to provide the expertise required by managers of national parks with submerged lands.

Renamed the Submerged Resources Center in 1999 to include natural resources, the core mission of the program has remained the same: to inventory and evaluate submerged resources in the National Park System and to assist other agencies, nationally and internationally, with underwater heritage resource issues.

Arizona Preservation Project
November Updates

This website is currently under development.