Wrecks on the Seabed provides guidance on the archaeological assessment, evaluation and recording of wreck sites. Methods of investigation, both geophysical and diver-based are discussed.

During the search for shipwrecks, archaeologists rely on magnetometers to locate ferromagnetic material associated with the shipwreck. Magnetometers detect variations in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by iron or other magnetized material such as brick or rock. Unlike acoustic sensors such as side scan sonar or multibeam sonar, magnetometers can detect this material even if it is buried.

Marine geophysical survey in archaeology developed by borrowing techniques used in military applications (in particular the hunt for mines and submarines), geological prospection (the search for oil, gas and mineral resources), offshore construction (most recently for offshore windfarms), deep-ocean exploration and seafloor mapping.

This article outlines the steps to locating a shipwreck including the costs and different technologies involved.

Historic ships are under attack, hundreds of years after they sank. The Mary Rose, Vasa and Batavia are very different vessels, but they share the same problem. Acid is eating them away.

Finds and artefacts that survive in the archaeological record are retrieved in the main by hand and observation as the context they survive in is excavated. Recognising the various types of finds and sub types within artefact group is important to allow the appropriate retrieval of an artefact be undertaken from lifting the item to storage and preparation for removal from site.

More human remains believed to be linked to a 17th century shipwreck have been found on an island off Western Australia's Mid West.

Because of the complexity, cost and the fact that, if things go wrong, the process cannot be reversed once it has been started, shipwrecks are rarely raised. When they are it is usually only if there are important research questions that can be answered.

Forensic scientists have identified the skeletal remains of Batavia mutiny victims dumped in a pit off Geraldton 377 years ago.

The article reports on the pioneering role of Australian in underwater cultural heritage conservation. Topics include the role of the 1963 discovery of 17th century Dutch shipwreck Vergulde Draeck in showing the need for heritage laws, management programs and community support, the signing of the Agreementof the Australia Netherlands Committeeon Old Dutch Shipwrecks in 1972, and Australia's failure to ratify the International Convention on theProtection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

The article features the bronze apothecary's mortar which is on permanent exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia. The bronze item was discovered in the wreck site found in 1976 which archaeologists believe to belong to Jeronimus Cornelisz, a mutineer of the "Batavia" which wrecked off the Houtman's Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia in 1629. It describes the condition of the treasure which the author says highlights effective corrosion control.

An iconic piece of WA’s maritime heritage is under threat from sulfuric acid. Already weakened by centuries under the waves, the priceless timbers of the famous Batavia shipwreck risk falling victim to corrosion.

Artifact preservation is one of the most important considerations when planning or implementing any action that will result in the recovery of material from a marine archaeological site. This comprehensive manual provides information on conserving archaeological material from underwater sites.

The function of ANCODS is to determine the ownership and subsequent disposition between the Netherlands, Australia and the State of Western Australia of the artefacts recovered from Dutch shipwrecks off the coast of Western Australia. The artefacts covered by the agreement are currently housed in four main collecting institutions, the Western Australian Museum (link is external) and the Australian National Maritime Museum (link is external) in Australia and the Netherlands Maritime Museum (link is external) in Amsterdam and the Geldmuseum (link is external) (Money Museum) in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976, it is illegal to disturb or remove items from historic shipwrecks without a permit. However, the law does provide ways in which dealers and collectors can legally purchase or sell coins and other relics or artifacts.

The Maritime Archaeology Databases have been developed as a public facility where visitors can search our collection databases for shipwreck information, shipwreck artefacts, numismatic (coin) materials, as well as the ANCODS (Agreement between Australia and the Netherlands Concerning Old Dutch Shipwrecks) collection.

This paper reviews the impacts of recreational scuba diving on the cultural heritage and recreational dive values of shipwrecks in marine environments in Australia and the western Pacific Ocean, excluding South East Asia.