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| Hawaii Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hawaii Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit |
| Formation | 2000s |
| Type | State agency unit |
| Headquarters | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Parent organization | Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources |
Hawaii Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit The Hawaii Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit operates as a specialist unit within the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources focused on identification, protection, and research of submerged cultural resources around the Hawaiian Islands, including shipwrecks, aircraft, and prehistoric coastal sites. The Unit collaborates with federal entities such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, and United States Navy, as well as with academic institutions including the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, and the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum to manage maritime heritage across state waters.
The Unit's remit covers archaeological assessment, inventory, permitting, and conservation of underwater cultural resources within the State of Hawaiʻi and adjacent littoral zones, interfacing with statutory frameworks like the National Historic Preservation Act, the Hawaii Revised Statutes, and the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987. Primary responsibilities include coordination with the State Historic Preservation Division, producing site records for the National Register of Historic Places, and advising on compliance for projects led by the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and commercial stakeholders operating near the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Origins trace to heritage management needs identified during surveys by the Bernice P. Bishop Museum and emergency responses to incidents involving USS Arizona (BB-39)–era research resonances, prompting the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and the Department of Land and Natural Resources to formalize capacity in the 2000s. The Unit evolved through cooperative initiatives with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, technical exchange with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and procedural alignment with the National Park Service’s underwater archaeology guidance. Legislative drivers included provisions tied to the Hawaii Revised Statutes that harmonize state practice with federal instruments such as the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.
The Unit's mission integrates stewardship, research, regulation, and public outreach in consonance with legal authorities vested by the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and statutory obligations under the Hawaii Historic Preservation Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. Enforcement and permitting functions intersect with the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987 and consultation mandates involving the State Historic Preservation Officer, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and tribal stakeholders including organizations representing Native Hawaiian interests like the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The Unit also participates in interagency protocols with the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for incident response and cultural resource protection.
Core programs include maritime archaeological surveys, site documentation, artifact conservation, dive safety training, and public interpretation through museum exhibits and digital archives in partnership with institutions such as the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum and the Hawaiʻi State Archives. Research-driven activities engage the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and international collaborators like the Australian National Maritime Museum on methodologies for remote sensing using technologies from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Bluefin Robotics. The Unit administers permit review aligned with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, provides technical support to US Army Corps of Engineers projects, and develops educational programs with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education and local cultural organizations.
Documented projects include surveys of historic whaling-era wrecks near Lānaʻi, assessments of World War II aircraft sites related to Pearl Harbor, and mapping of prehistoric coastal habitation features adjacent to Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. Collaborative excavations have involved the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, and the National Park Service at loci tied to early European contact such as records linked to voyages by Captain James Cook. The Unit contributed to stabilization and interpretation efforts for sites entered on the National Register of Historic Places and has supported investigations involving submerged elements associated with the Matson Navigation Company and historic trans-Pacific trade routes.
The Unit maintains formal partnerships with academic partners like the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, research entities such as the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, cultural institutions including the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and tribal advocates including Office of Hawaiian Affairs-affiliated community groups. Outreach initiatives coordinate with the Hawaiʻi Maritime Center legacy institutions, local dive organizations, and youth education programs under the Hawaiʻi Department of Education to promote stewardship and traditional knowledge integration from Native Hawaiian practitioners and cultural experts associated with aliʻi lineages and community hui.
The Unit navigates tensions among heritage protection, commercial interests from entities like the Matson Navigation Company and tourism operators, and federal-state jurisdictional complexity involving the United States Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Controversies have arisen around artifact repatriation debates involving museums such as the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum and regulatory disputes over salvage claims under statutes including the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987 and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. Additional challenges include balancing conservation priorities amid climate change impacts documented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, coastal development pressures reviewed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and resource constraints common to state-level cultural resource management.
Category:Cultural heritage organizations in the United States Category:Marine archaeology