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Archaeological Survey of the Ex-USS Independence (CVL22)

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Abstract

In August 2016, a multidisciplinary team conducted the first archaeological survey of the deep-water (829 m) wreck of the ex-USS Independence (CVL22) using the remotely operated vehicles Argus and Hercules. The survey provided 34 h of direct observation with video and still camera documentation of the wreck, which the previous year had been initially identified with a limited three-dimensional sonar survey of the site. The 2016 assessment added considerably to an understanding of changes to Independence after its use as a target vessel for the 1946 atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, as a radiological laboratory, training facility, and finally as a receptacle for “nuclear waste” prior to its scuttling off California in January 1951. The location and detailed examination of the wreck, along with additional archival research, offers a more nuanced definition of the carrier’s role within the context of the Cold War between the USSR, its adversaries and the race to establish nuclear supremacy, as well as site formation processes and ongoing biological colonization of the wreck site. As well, no evidence of residual radiological contamination was noted during the mission.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SEARCH Inc., Jacksonville, FL, USA

    James P. Delgado & Michael L. Brennan

  2. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Kelley Elliott & Frank Cantelas

  3. Air Sea Heritage Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Russell E. Matthews

  4. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Megan Lickliter-Mundon

  5. NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring, MD, USA

    John G. Lambert & Robert V. Schwemmer

Authors
  1. James P. Delgado
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  2. Michael L. Brennan
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  3. Kelley Elliott
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  4. Russell E. Matthews
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  5. Megan Lickliter-Mundon
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  6. John G. Lambert
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  7. Frank Cantelas
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  8. Robert V. Schwemmer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael L. Brennan.

Additional information

John G. Lambert is a Consultant to the Maritime Heritage Program in NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring, MD, USA.

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Delgado, J.P., Brennan, M.L., Elliott, K. et al. Archaeological Survey of the Ex-USS Independence (CVL22). J Mari Arch 13, 123–144 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-018-9199-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-018-9199-x

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