The Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) is a charity registered in England and WalesCharity Commission The Nautical Archaeology Society is registered charity number 264209 and in ScotlandOffice of the Scottish Charity Regulator register entry for NAS and is a company limited by guarantee.Companies house The Nautical Archaeology Society is registered at Companies House in England no. 1039270

The charitable aims and object of the company are to further research in Nautical Archaeology and publish the results of such research and to advance education and training in the techniques pertaining to the study of Nautical Archaeology for the benefit of the public.

Nautical archaeology is an archaeological sub-discipline more generally known as maritime archaeology. It encompasses the archaeology of shipwrecks, underwater archaeology in seas and elsewhere and the archaeology of related features.

The society's logo is derived from the image of a merchant sailing ship on a Bichrome Ware Cypro-Archaic pottery jug 750-600BC, thought to be from the Karpas Peninsula in North Cyprus. The ancient vessel is part of the British Museum's collection (GR 1926.6-28.9). An analysis of how the iconography on this pot has been misinterpreted in recent history and how the image has been adapted for the society's logo, can be read in the editorial of the society's publication the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2000) 29.1: 1–2.

History

Council for Nautical Archaeology The predecessor of the Nautical Archaeology Society was the Council for Nautical Archaeology (CNA). This was formed in 1964 initially under the name the Committee for Nautical Archaeology:"so as to ensure that the many discoveries being made by divers should not go by default through lack of contact with the appropriate learned bodies and to act as a channel of communication with the many interests that were growing up in this new field of research and exploration."

The inaugural meeting of the CNA was held in Joan du Plat Taylor's office at the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, at the University of London. The Council includedindividuals from the Council for British Archaeology, the [Science Museum], the [Museum of London], the National Maritime Museum, [Bristol University], and the Institute of Archaeology at London University. The Society for Nautical Research, the Society for Post Medieval Archaeology. and the British Sub-Aqua Club were also represented on the council.

It was the CNA that was responsible for establishing the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and the Nautical Archaeology Trust in 1972, but it was also concerned with the promotion of legislation for the protection of nautical archaeological sites playing a key part in what became the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

In 1984 the CNA was incorporated into the Council for British Archaeology as one of its research sub-committees

The Nautical Archaeology Trust The predecessor of the Nautical Archaeology Society was a trust originally incorporated and registered as a charity under the name (The) Nautical Archaeological Trust Limited.

The Trust was established by the Council for Nautical Archaeology as its limited liability charitable arm. As a corporate body the Trust gained the legal ability to enter into contracts and to hold assets. The Trust's objects were "the furtherance of research into nautical archaeology and the publication of the results of such research together with the advancement of training and education in the techniques pertaining to the study of nautical archaeology for the benefit of the public"

The Trust organised lectures, conferences and seminars, produced a newsletter and had a mechanism for associate membership for groups, associate individual members and subscribers. Associate membership provided a discounted purchase price for the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.

In 1974, the then chairman of the CNA and of NAT, Professor W. F. Grimes, proposed that what was needed was a membership society but this took some years to establish. The CNA and the Trust eventually agreed the form of constitution of such a Society and the inaugural meeting took place in 1981. The intention of the Society was to act as a forum for the interchange of ideas and all of the associates and subscribers of the Trust were transferred to full membership the Society. The specific intention was to further cooperation between amateurs and professionals and its impact spread beyond the UK with a third of the new membership in its first year being from outside the UK. Joan du Plat Taylor was the first president.

For a few years from 1981, the activities of the charity (the Trust) were separated from the interchange between the members (the Society) although both had identical aims, but the situation was resolved by a special meeting of the Trust held on 3 July 1986 at the Science Museum. At this meeting, the members of the Trust voted to change the name of the Trust to the Nautical Archaeology Society and to change the constitution (the articles of association) to reflect the change to a membership organisation. The reconstituted organisation continued to have responsibility for producing the IJNA and a clause safeguarding the academic standards of the journal was added to the articles. The renamed Trust thus subsumed the role of providing a forum for the interchange of ideas and the memberships of those who had participated in the Society (many of whom were in any case the original associates and subscribers of the Trust) transferred to membership of the incorporated body.

The beginning of NAS training With the dual advantages of a participatory membership and its status as a registered charity, in 1986 the newly reconstituted Nautical Archaeology Society ran the first events in what later became its four-part internationally accredited training syllabus.

NAS training and education

NAS training in the UK The society educates and trains professional and avocational archaeologists and commercial and recreational divers.English Heritage Protected wrecks website – recommendation to use NAS training. The aim of the NAS training syllabus is to develop awareness, respect for and understanding of the maritime cultural heritage and to develop capability in the maritime archaeological sector by training in relevant archaeological and underwater skills as well as to develop knowledge and understanding of the technology of the past.Marc-Andre Bernier, Underwater Archaeology Service, Parks Canada, "To Dig or not to Dig" in Underwater Cultural Heritage at Risk: Managing Natural and Human Impacts, ICOMOS, 2006.

In the past, NAS Training has been supported by Cadw and Historic Scotland to provide training opportunities in Wales and Scotland respectively. The development of the NAS training curriculum was supported by English Heritage and its predecessors from 1991 to 2004.

In 2015, the NAS Education Programme underwent a major revision to adapt to the increasing use of online learning and to make the qualification system more flexible. As of 2017, the NAS qualification system in the UK consists of the following:

NAS Foundation in Maritime Archaeology

10 or 15 credits

This qualification is achieved by completing:

Two Elearning courses: Intro to Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Archaeology or Intertidal Archaeology Underwater Recorder and Surveyor Skills Days or Foreshore Recorder and Surveyor Skills Days

NAS Certificate in Maritime Archaeology

100 credits in total

This qualification is achieved by completing:

NAS Foundation, and 85 or 90 credits from Maritime Archaeology Courses, Events or Fieldwork

NAS Award in Maritime Archaeology

300 credits in total

This qualification is achieved by completing:

NAS Certificate (worth 100 credits), and an additional 200 credits from Maritime Archaeology Courses, Events or Fieldwork, and A 2,000-word archaeological report

NAS members progress through these qualifications by earning credits which are accrued by participating in courses, events and fieldwork. Attending NAS-run activities accrues 5 credits per day while attending non-NAS or self-directed activities earns 2.5 credits per day.

NAS Training International The NAS four-part qualification system is still used by the numerous International Training Partners that use a locally adapted version of the NAS syllabus to share knowledge and practical skills to local divers and non-divers. The list and contact details of current International Training Partners can be found here.

NAS Conference The annual two-day NAS conference provides a forum for a wide range of presentations on nautical archaeology. At the event the annual Adopt-a-Wreck award is presented. Administration of the Muckelroy award was transferred to the NAS in 2009 and is presented every two years to the best publication.

Publications International Journal of Nautical Archaeology The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (IJNA) is published bi-annually (Print , online ) for NAS by Wiley Publishing Ltd. It is a peer-reviewed academic journal but articles by amateur researchers that meet the journal's standards have been published.

IJNA aims to cover all aspects of nautical archaeological research including the seas, ships, cargos, harbours and sailors of the past.

IJNA was first published in 1972 under the founding editor Joan du Plat Taylor. Since 1980, IJNA has been edited by Ian Morrison, James Kirkman, Valerie Fenwick and Paula Martin. The current editor, Miranda Richardson, took over in 2012. Angela Croome held the position of reviews editor from the journal's foundation until 2016 when Paula Martin took over.

NAS Monograph Series The first in the NAS monograph series is the report of the Sound of Mull Archaeological Project (SOMAP), which ran from 1994 to 2005.The Sound of Mull Archaeological Project (SOMAP) 1994–2005, Philip Robertson, with contributions by Jane Maddocks and Steve Webster. BAR British Series 453, 2007, NAS Monograph Series 1, Oxford, England: Archeopress Ltd. .

The NAS monograph series was edited by Gerald Grainge until 2016, who was replaced by Julian Whitewright.

NAS Handbook The NAS Handbook provides an introduction to underwater archaeology. The material in the handbook is consistent with the teaching of the NAS Training programme.Amanda Bowens (ed.), Underwater Archaeology: The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition 2009, Wiley-Blackwell. .

Awards

Joan du Plat Taylor Award

The Joan du Plat Taylor Award is a grant awarded annually by the Nautical Archaeology Society to support publication of nautical archaeological research. The grant was originally funded personally by Joan du Plat Taylor, the founder editor of IJNA and the first president of the Nautical Archaeology Society.

Adopt-a-Wreck The Adopt-a-wreck scheme, run by the Nautical Archaeology Society was set up as a joint initiative with the Maritime and Coastguard AgencyFinal Report on the Wreck Amnesty, Maritime and Coastguard Agency 2001, p. 27. to encourage groups and individuals to take a close interest in a maritime site, and adopt a minimum level of stewardship, monitoring how the site changes over time. As well as shipwrecks, adopted sites can include harbour works and buildings with nautical connections, coastal habitations, hulks and other sea wrack of archaeological interest. The society maintains a register of all such adopted sites and since 2003 has provided an annual award to the person or group that has made the most significant contribution to maritime archaeology and research through the adoption process. A pilot for the Adopt-a-Wreck scheme was run on the East Indiaman HalsewellReceiver of Wreck Annual Report for 2002, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, p. 13.

Past winners of the Adopt-a-Wreck award have included: