Links

Databases, institutions and projects on underwater and maritime archaeology that we recommend. Each link opens the resource on its own website.

Databases

• Archaeological Cadastre, Hellenic Ministry of Culture (Greece)
  Greece's national register of archaeological sites, monuments and their legally protected zones, on a public map. Europe · Greek, English

• De VOCsite
  Dutch site built around a database of over 2,000 ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC, c. 1600–1800) and its forerunners, with ships lost and missing, the trading posts from the Cape to Japan, and glossaries of shipbuilding, rigging and navigation terms. Global · Dutch

• HPIP, Heritage of Portuguese Influence
  Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation portal, written with universities, on the architecture and towns of Portuguese influence worldwide: forts, churches, ports and whole cities from Africa to Asia and Brazil, with texts and images. Global · Portuguese, English

• MaSS, Maritime Stepping Stones (Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands)
  Worldwide interactive map and stories of more than 1,500 Dutch shipwrecks and other underwater sites, from prehistory to VOC ships and the Second World War, with historic shipping routes. Experts and the public can contribute new sites and information. Global · English, Dutch

• National Shipwreck Database of Sri Lanka, Central Cultural Fund
  Sri Lanka's national database of underwater heritage, from the Central Cultural Fund's Maritime Archaeology Unit: 115 recorded shipwreck and aircraft sites around the island, 11 of them protected, with a map, timeline, 3D models, stories and publications. Indian Ocean · English

• OxREP Shipwrecks Database, University of Oxford
  Catalogue of all known ancient wrecks in the Mediterranean up to AD 1500, building on Parker's Ancient Shipwrecks of the Mediterranean (1992). The downloadable spreadsheet gives location, dates, depth, cargo, hull remains and references for each wreck. Mediterranean · English

• Viação Romana em Portugal
  Pedro Soutinho's research site on the Roman road network in Portugal: itineraries, milestones, bridges, settlements and a map of the roads, with a bibliography and a log of corrections as new finds are published. Portugal · Portuguese, English

• Wreck Registry, National Heritage Board (Estonia)
  The Estonian National Heritage Board's public register of shipwrecks in Estonian waters of the Baltic Sea. Europe · Estonian, English

• Wreck Viewer, National Monuments Service (Ireland)
  Map of Ireland's national wreck database, including aircraft wrecks. It shows the wrecks with a known position (about 22% of the records); the full records can be downloaded from the viewer. Europe · English

Institutions

• Archéologie sous-marine, Ministère de la Culture (France)
  The French Ministry of Culture's illustrated collection on underwater archaeology and the DRASSM: from Mahdia and the Grand Congloué to deep-sea robots, with wrecks such as La Lune, the Danton and the Mauritius (1609, Gabon), and a map of the sites. Europe · French, English

• G.R.A.N., Groupe de Recherche en Archéologie Navale
  French naval archaeology association. Its campaigns cover the archaeology of the slave trade (Tromelin, Senegal, Benin), wrecks such as La Lomellina, La Cordelière, the Slava Rossii, the Alabama and La Boussole, and work in Polynesia and Martinique. Global · French

Projects

• Lefort battleship, Underwater Exploration Team (UWEX)
  The Lefort, an 84-gun Empress Alexandra-class ship of the line and the last classic wooden battleship of the Russian Imperial Fleet, lost in the Gulf of Finland in 1857. UWEX found and identified the wreck at 70 m in 2013; the page gives its history, technical data and the probable cause of sinking. Europe · English, Russian

• Phoenician Shipwreck, Xlendi (Gozo), Underwater Malta Virtual Museum
  The Phoenician wreck found at 110 m off Xlendi, Gozo: the only known intact Phoenician cargo, dated to the 7th century BC and excavated from 2018, presented with videos, 3D photogrammetry and a virtual-reality dive. Mediterranean · English

• Project Eleuthera: Underwater Sites (Bahamas)
  Volunteer project documenting Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Its underwater pages describe the many wrecks on the Devil's Backbone and James Point reefs, with photos and histories, and the island's cenotes and underwater caves. Americas · English

• Slave Wrecks Project (SWP)
  International network hosted by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture with George Washington University, studying the history and legacies of the slave trade through maritime archaeology. It works in Senegal, Mozambique, South Africa, Brazil, Portugal, St. Croix, Florida and Alabama, and trains new researchers through its SWP Academy. Global · English