UH Hosts 14th Annual Symposium on Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawaii and the Pacific

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Hans Van Tilburg, (808) 956-2418
Conference Coordinator
Kristen Cabral, (808) 956-5039
Public Information Officer
Posted: May 13, 2002

The University of Hawaiʻi‘s Graduate Maritime Archaeology and History Program is hosting a joint conference with the North American Society for Oceanic History, the 14th Annual Symposium on Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, to be held May 16-18, 2002, at the Hawaiʻi Maritime Center.

Other conference sponsors include the UH Marine Option Program, the USS Arizona Memorial National Park Service, USS Bowfin Museum Pearl Harbor, and the Hawaiʻi Maritime Center.

The first day of the symposium features presentations on "The Commercial Trades in the Pacific," including a look at "The Mystery of the Brig Owyhee‘s Anchor and the Disappearance of Captain John Dominis" by maritime historian Jim Mockford. Mockford examines the career of Captain John Dominis, father-in-law of Queen Liliʻuokalani and the builder of Washington Place.

"U.S. Navy and Military Forces in the Pacific" is the focus of two days of presentations by individuals from the Smithsonian Institution, Texas Christian University, U.S. Pacific Command, and others. Presentations will not only look at the current maritime issues in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific relating to the U.S. Navy and Military Forces, but will also look back at American expansion and exploration into the Pacific, the roles of Navy personnel, particularly the Navy surgeon, and a look at the U.S. Coast Guard‘s "Operation Noble Eagle Documentation Project."

Robert Neyland, director of the Hunley Recovery Project and branch head of Underwater Archaeology at the Naval Historical Center will present the keynote address of the symposium. Neyland will discuss the recovery and excavation of the Civil War Confederate Submarine H.L. Hunley, which was discovered off the coast of South Carolina in 1995.

"Nautical Archaeology" is also a topic that will be explored at the symposium, and will include a presentation by Hans Van Tilburg of the Maritime Archeology and History Program at UH Mānoa on "Beyond Pearl Harbor: Navy Ships and Aircraft in Hawaiian Waters." Van Tilburg, who is also the conference coordinator, will discuss efforts to inventory the remains of sunken aircraft, submarines and ships in Hawaiian waters. This effort has been made possible by a recent grant from the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C.

The conference will end on Saturday, May 18, with participants visiting the USS Arizona Memorial and a banquet at the USS Bowfin Museum. For more information on the conference, contact Hans Van Tilburg at 956-2418 or e-mail hkvant@hawaii.edu.