Editing Chesapeake Bay (section)

== Underwater archaeology ==
In 1988, the Maryland Maritime Archeology Program (MMAP) was established to manage and explore various underwater archaeological. This was in response to the [[Abandoned Shipwrecks Act|National Abandoned Shipwreck Act]] passed in 1987, which gave ownership of historically significant shipwrecks to those states with proper management programs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maryland Maritime Archaeology Program |publisher=Maryland Historical Trust |location=Crownsville, MD |url=https://mht.maryland.gov/Pages/archaeology/archaeology-underwater.aspx |access-date=February 25, 2025}}</ref>

=== Location and research processes ===
The Chesapeake Bay watershed has been heavily impacted by natural forces such as erosion, tides, and a history of hurricanes and other storms. Along with environmental factors, the bay has been negatively impacted by humans since being settled in the 17th century, bringing with them problems like pollution, construction, destruction of the environment, and currently poultry farms. All of these circumstances have made it increasingly difficult for the MMAP to identify potential underwater archaeological sites. As sea levels rise and historically significant areas are sunk and covered in sediment, the MMAP relies on various pieces of equipment to locate these man-made anomalies but also ensure that the material being examined is kept intact. Using marine magnetometers (detects iron/absent space), [[side-scan sonar]] (detects objects on sea floor), along with precise global positioning systems, Langley and the MMAP have been much more successful in locating submerged archaeological sites. After locating the site, Langley and her team have a strict process in order to preserve the site and its contents, allowing more accurate and thorough research to be conducted. The remains of nearly every site have been submerged in saltwater for sometimes centuries, the integrity of shipwrecks and other materials are fragile and careful precaution must be used when working with them. Taking photos and videos, creating maps, and constructing models are all a part of the process of preserving remains. Susan Langley notes herself, "If you have only ten percent of a ship’s hull, you can reconstruct the ship. Construction techniques can tell us about the people who built the vessels, artifacts can tell us about the people who profited from the ship’s trade, and eco-facts—evidence of insect infestation and organic remains, such as seeds, that are preserved in anaerobic, muddy environments—can tell us about the climate and season when a ship sank."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Nancy Breslau |title=Underwater Archaeology: History From the Deep |website=Inside Annapolis |publisher=Backyard Publications, LLC |url=http://www.insideannapolis.com/archive/2006/issue4/underwater.html |date=2006 |access-date=2020-11-16}}</ref> Still, the MMAP makes it a point to publish their data and information once a site is officially identified; however, the details of the location are left out to sway would-be looters, who have plagued marine archaeologists for decades.

=== Significant sites ===
Altogether there are more than 1,800 ship and boat wrecks that scatter the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding waterways.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shipwrecks |url=https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/history/shipwrecks#:~:text=More%20than%201,800%20vessels%20have,and%20traveled%20on%20the%20Chesapeake. |access-date=2020-11-16 |publisher=Chesapeake Bay Program}}</ref> Dozens of precolonial era canoes and artifacts have been extracted from the bay, helping to portray a better picture of the lives of Native Americans (e.g., [[Powhatan]], [[Pamunkey]], [[Nansemond]]) In 1974, scallop fishermen dredged up the skull of a prehistoric [[mastodon]], which through carbon dating was found to be 22,000 years old. Along with the skull, a carved blade was also discovered in the same area. Unable to accurately carbon date the stone tool, archaeologists looked at similar styles of blade carving in order to gauge when it was made. The technique was similar to the [[Solutrean]] tools that were crafted in Europe between 22,000 and 17,000 years ago and it was noted that the stone tool must be at least 14,000 years old. The [[Solutrean hypothesis]] challenges the previous theory regarding the first inhabitants of North America, whereas it is commonly accepted amongst anthropologists that the [[Clovis culture|Clovis]] people were the first to settle the region somewhere around 13,000 years ago. There is some controversy surrounding these findings; many anthropologists have disputed this, claiming that the environment and setting make properly identifying the origins of these artifacts nearly impossible.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Tia |last=Ghose |title=Fisherman Pulls Up Beastly Evidence of Early Americans |url=https://www.livescience.com/47289-mastodon-found-under-chesapeake-bay.html |date=2014-08-11 |website=Live Science |publisher=Future US, Inc. |location=New York}}</ref>

The [[Chesapeake Bay Flotilla]], which was constructed using shallow barges and ships to counter British naval attacks during the [[War of 1812]]. After holding strong for some months, the British eventually defeated the flotilla and dozens of these vessels were burnt and sunk. Starting in 1978, there were numerous expeditions launched in hopes of successfully discovering what was left of the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla. Since then, hundreds of artifacts and remains have been extracted from the submerged ships such as weapons, personal items, and many other objects. Underwater archaeologists have also been successful in constructing accurate models and maps of the wreckage amongst the sea floor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chesapeake Flotilla |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/underwater-archaeology/sites-and-projects/ship-wrecksites/chesapeakeflotilla1812.html |access-date=2020-11-16 |website=NHHC}}</ref>

In October 1774, the British merchant brig ''[[Peggy Stewart (ship)|Peggy Stewart]]'' arrived at the port of [[Annapolis, Maryland|Annapolis]] loaded with tea disguised as linens and garments. The tea was hidden by the ship's crew to avoid conflict with local colonists as the recently imposed tea tax had created hostility and uncertainty in the colonies. The crew of ''Peggy Stewart'' informed the colonists of the new taxes for the purchased tea. The colonists refused to pay the tax and after a few days of public meetings, the colonists decided to burn ''Peggy Stewart'' and the contents of it. The brig was burnt to the waterline in what became known as the 'Annapolis Tea Party' and has since become an important site for underwater archaeologists in the Chesapeake Bay.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Digging into Underwater Archaeology |url=https://www.archaeologyincommunity.com/digging-into-underwater-archaeology/ |publisher=Archaeology in the Community |location=Washington, D.C. |date=2016-07-27 |access-date=2020-11-16 |archive-date=2016-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113164017/http://www.archaeologyincommunity.com/digging-into-underwater-archaeology/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1949, after the Nazi's defeat in World War 2, the United States seized a [[German submarine U-1105|German U-1105]] built with sonar-evading rubber sheathing for study purposes. It was sunk the same year in the Potomac River off of the Chesapeake Bay following a high explosives test hosted by the U.S. Navy and has since been a popular site for underwater archaeologists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Submerged Resources: Maryland |department=Archeology Program |publisher=National Park Service |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/statesubmerged/maryland.htm |access-date=2020-11-16}}</ref>

Maryland has controlled the majority of underwater archaeology research around the Chesapeake Bay; however, Virginia's Department of Historic Resources has had a State Underwater Archaeologist since the 1970s. In 1982, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources along with the first State Underwater Archaeologist, John Broadwater, led an expedition to explore and research a sunken fleet of Revolution-era battleships. In September 1781, during the Revolutionary War, the British scuttled more than a dozen ships in the [[York River (Virginia)|York River]], near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Under the ultimate command of [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Lord Cornwallis]], a group of British ships was pushed back towards the rivers of the Chesapeake, and to avoid them from falling into French and Spanish hands, Cornwallis began ordering them to be scuttled with the hopes of stalling the incoming Franco-American forces. Cornwallis was eventually forced to surrender on October 19 and the ships along with its contents were at the bottom of the York River. One of the British ships, ''Betsy'', has been explored more than any other and over 5,000 relics were removed from Betsy on their original expedition in 1982, including weapons, personal objects, and some valuable metals. Broadwater and his team were awarded a 20-page article in the magazine ''[[National Geographic]]'' for their findings. Virginia has recently been granted funding for further research of these sunken vessels and expeditions are currently underway with the goal to fully explore the scuttled ships. Unfortunately, following the publicity of these sunken ships, many divers have taken it upon themselves to explore the wreckage for 'treasure'.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kimberlin |first=Joanne |title=Revolutionary War shipwrecks near Yorktown getting their first good look in years |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/history/article_ba8743b4-78a3-11e9-9710-ff054b373b72.html |date=2019-05-18 |work=The Virginian-Pilot |location=Norfolk, VA}}</ref>