The Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society (MAHS)

12/10/2025

The Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society's
2026 Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology

Would you like to dive with MAHS to conduct research on historic shipwrecks and help preserve our national maritime heritage? Then this course is for you.

The Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society (MAHS) is accepting applications for its 37th annual Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology starting Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

The course consists of nine evening classes (7:30 to 9:30 pm) on select Tuesday nights, plus a Final Review class.

Classes will be conducted online by Zoom, so students need access to a computer to participate.

The course is open to all interested persons whether certified scuba divers or not. Cost is $205 per person.

Upon successful completion of the course and final exam, a student who is a certified diver is eligible to register for the MAHS Field School where students participate in the investigation of an historic shipwreck or other underwater site. Thereafter, graduates are invited to participate in future MAHS projects.

CLASS SCHEDULE: see website for updates: www.mahsnet.org/introclass
20 Jan. Tue. Introduction to U/W Archaeology
27 Jan. Tue. Archival Research
03 Feb. Tue. Ship Architecture
10 Feb. Tue. No Class – MAHS Bimonthly Meeting
17 Feb. Tue. Search Methods and Remote Sensing
24 Feb. Tue. Survey, Recording and Mapping
03 Mar. Tue. Photography and Videography
10 Mar. Tue. No Class
17 Mar. Tue. Law and Ethics
24 Mar. Tue. Conservation
31 Mar . Tue. Project Planning and Reports
07 Apr. Tue. Final Review and Student Questions

REGISTRATION: Complete the form below and send it to MAHS. Either mail the form and payment of $205.00 to
the address on the form, or email the form to [email protected] and make payment online at
www.mahsnet.org/introclass.

For those who are unable to attend the Zoom classes on Tuesday nights, MAHS offers some alternatives. Contact Steven Anthony at [email protected] for more details.
Questions? Contact Steven Anthony by Email or voice message. See contact information below.

2026 MAHS Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology Class Registration Form

Our website is
www.mahsnet.org
For further information
contact:
Steven Anthony
[email protected]
or 301-419-8222

Name
Name (if different) to be printed on diploma
Street Address

City, State, & Zip Code

Email Address

MAIL TO:
MAHS
PO Box 44382
L& #39;Enfant Plaza
Washington, D.C.

12/28/2024

The Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society's
2025 Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology

Would you like to dive with MAHS to conduct research on historic shipwrecks and help preserve our national maritime heritage? Then this course is for you.

The Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society (MAHS) is accepting applications for its 37th annual Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology starting Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

The course consists of nine evening classes (7:30 to 9:30 pm) on select Tuesday nights, plus a Final Review class.

Classes will be conducted online by Zoom, so students need access to a computer to participate.

The course is open to all interested persons whether certified scuba divers or not. Cost is $195 per person.

Upon successful completion of the course and final exam, a student who is a certified diver is eligible to register for the MAHS Field School where students participate in the investigation of an historic shipwreck or other underwater site. Thereafter, graduates are invited to participate in future MAHS projects.

CLASS SCHEDULE: see website for updates: www.mahsnet.org/introclass
21 Jan. Tue. Introduction to U/W Archaeology
28 Jan. Tue. Archival Research
04 Feb. Tue. Ship Architecture
11 Feb. Tue. No Class – MAHS Bimonthly Meeting
18 Feb. Tue. Search Methods and Remote Sensing
25 Feb. Tue. Survey, Recording and Mapping
04 Mar. Tue. Photography and Videography
11 Mar. Tue. No Class
18 Mar. Tue. Conservation
25 Mar. Tue. Law and Ethics
01 Apr . Tue. Project Planning and Reports
08 Apr . Tue. No Class - MAHS Bimonthly Meeting
22 Apr. Tue. Final Review and Student Questions

REGISTRATION: Complete the form below and send it to MAHS. Either mail the form and payment of $195.00 to
the address on the form, or email the form to [email protected] and make payment online at
www.mahsnet.org/introclass.

For those who are unable to attend the Zoom classes on Tuesday nights, MAHS offers some alternatives. Contact Steven Anthony at [email protected] for more details.
Questions? Contact Steven Anthony by Email or voice message. See contact information below.

2025 MAHS Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology Class Registration Form

Our website is
www.mahsnet.org
For further information
contact:
Steven Anthony
[email protected]
or 301-419-8222

Name
Name (if different) to be printed on diploma
Street Address

City, State, & Zip Code

Email Address

MAIL TO:
MAHS
PO Box 44382
L& #39;Enfant Plaza
Washington, D.C.

07/09/2024

The 3,300-year-old storage jars were discovered during a survey of the sea bed in the eastern Mediterranean.

12/12/2023

2024 Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology

Would you like to dive with MAHS to conduct research on historic shipwrecks and help preserve our maritime heritage? Then this course is for you.

The Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society (MAHS) is accepting applications for its 36th annual Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology scheduled to start Tuesday January 23, 2024.

The course consists of nine evening classes (7:30 to 9:30 pm) on Tuesday nights, plus one review session. Classes will be conducted online by Zoom so students need access to a computer to participate in the course.

The faculty features, Dr. John Seidel, Director Emeritus, Washington College; Dr.
Susan Langley, Maryland State Underwater Archaeologist; Dr. John Bratten, University of West Florida; and AJ Davereade, Senior Archivist, NDC (Retired).

The course is open to all interested people whether they are a certified diver or not. Cost is $185.

Upon successful completion of the open book, take home exam, all certified scuba divers will be eligible to participate in the MAHS Field School in Underwater Archaeology where students work as a team to survey and document a shipwreck or other underwater site. Thereafter, students may volunteer to participate in future MAHS projects.

CLASS SCHEDULE :
Contact MAHS or see our website for the most recent class schedule:https://mahsnet.org/docs/Intro_Course_2024.pdf

Course Registration:
To register by mail and pay by check, go tohttps://mahsnet.org/docs/Intro_Course_2024.pdf
Print and complete the registration form, add your check payable to MAHS in the amount of $185.00 (US) and mail both to the address on the form.

If you prefer to pay for the course online via PayPal or Credit Card go to http://mahsnet.org/introclass.php and click on the Pay Now button.

For those who are unable to attend the online classes on Tuesday nights, MAHS offers some options. Contact Steven Anthony at [email protected] for more details.

12/11/2022

MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2023 Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology
Would you like to dive with MAHS to conduct research on historic shipwrecks and help
preserve our national maritime heritage. Then this course is for you.
The Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society (MAHS) is accepting applications for its
annual Introductory Course in Underwater Archaeology scheduled to start Tuesday January
24, 2023.
The course consists of nine evening classes (7:30 to 9:30 pm) on Tuesday nights, plus one
pool session. Classes will be conducted online by Zoom this year, so students need access
to a computer to attend. The faculty includes, Dr. John Seidel, Washington College, Dr.
Susan Langley, Maryland State Underwater Archaeologist, Dr. John Bratten, University of
West Florida and Dr. John Worth, University of West Florida. The course is open to all
interested persons whether a certified diver or not. Cost is $185.
Once you have successfully completed the open book, take home exam, and if you are a
certified scuba diver, you will be eligible to participate in the MAHS Field School in
Underwater Archaeology where you will join other students in surveying and documenting a
shipwreck or other underwater site. Thereafter, you may volunteer to participate in future
MAHS projects.
CLASS SCHEDULE : Contact MAHS or see our website for the most recent class
schedule:https://mahsnet.org/docs/Intro_Course_2023.pdf
Course Registration:
To register by mail and pay by check, go
tohttps://mahsnet.org/docs/Intro_Course_2023.pdf
Print and complete the registration form, add your check in the amount of $185 payable to
MAHS and mail both to the address on the form.
To pay for this course online via PayPal or Credit Card go
to http://mahsnet.org/introclass.php and click on the Pay Now button.
For those who are unable to attend the online classes on Tuesday nights, MAHS also offers
an online self-study course. See our website at www.mahsnet.org/video for more details.

11/02/2022

A century-old shipwreck was unearthed. Then the thieving began.

By Maham Javaid
November 1, 2022 at 8:44 p.m. EDT



A man walking along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge stops to look at a shipwreck revealed by the low water level on Oct. 17. Archaeologists believe the ship is a ferry that was built around 1896 and sank in 1915. (Sara Cline/AP)
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Charles McGimsey, Louisiana’s state archaeologist, felt unsurprised but disappointed when someone stole a piece of a shipwreck that recently emerged from the Mississippi River. The real shock came the next day, when McGimsey said he ran into the thief, who was walking away with another piece of the ship.
McGimsey was on his way to the shipwreck of the Brookhill Ferry for a news interview about its discovery when, he said, he saw an unidentified man walking away from the ferry, toward his pickup truck, with a piece of the artifact.
As water levels in the Mississippi River plummeted this year, the Brookhill Ferry, which sank during a storm in September 1915, emerged by the banks of the river in Baton Rouge. The ferry, which was built around 1896 and used to transport people between Baton Rouge and Port Allen, had surfaced once before, in 1992. Then, the shipwreck was muddy and not really visible, McGimsey said.

This time at least 80 percent of the Brookhill is visible, and the ship is clean because of the current, according to the state archaeologist. And it can easily be reached from downtown Baton Rouge.
“And it is such a tremendous educational opportunity to see and touch history,” McGimsey said.
These were all reasons that convinced Louisiana’s archaeology department to open the ship to the public.
McGimsey said there was a brief discussion with his colleagues about putting up a chain-link fence around the wreck, but the idea was dropped. “We wanted everyone to enjoy this local history, photograph it, touch it, walk on it” he said.
As droughts are occurring around the world, lower water levels are offering glimpses of historical artifacts: in Central Texas, dinosaur tracks were discovered on a dried-up riverbed; along the Serbia-Romania border, warships have emerged from the port; and in Chongqing, China, previously submerged Buddhist statues can now be seen.


Remains of the Brookhill Ferry are exposed Oct. 18 along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. (Stephen Smith/AP)

In Baton Rouge, they didn’t consider that out of the thousands of people who came to enjoy the ship, some could steal parts of it. So far, four pieces of the ship have been stolen.

McGimsey recognized the man because he had been sent photographs of him the night before, piling pieces of the shipwreck into his vehicle. He stopped and tried to reason with him.
McGimsey said he explained to the would-be thief and vandal that the shipwreck belongs to the state of Louisiana, but the man argued that nobody owns the river or anything found in it, McGimsey said. “We had a really strong difference of opinion.”
“He wasn’t happy about it, but eventually he left behind the piece,” the archaeologist said.
According to a local paper, the man has since been contacted by Louisiana’s assistant attorney general, and he has agreed to return pieces he previously took. They include two hull planks; one is at least 10 feet long, and the other is 30 feet long. The archaeology department is still figuring out the best way to transport the stolen pieces back to the rest of the Brookhill.

The department has decided that if the returns can be made amicably, it does not want to press charges, McGimsey said.
Two stolen pieces remain at large, and there are no clues about who took them, McGimsey said. They include an 18-inch framing timber and a 5-inch sieve made of lead, according to a local paper.
McGimsey is not sure why people would steal from the shipwreck, but he thinks it could either be out of the wonder and curiosity of history, or for financial gain.
“Maybe if we go on eBay we will find a seller with one-inch pieces of a 100-year-old boat,” said McGimsey. “But I can’t imagine why anyone would buy that!”
The archaeology department will keep the shipwreck open to the public until the water level rises again and takes the ferry with it.
The department has had to put up signs to remind people to not take pieces from the ferry, and so far they seem to be working, McGimsey said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/01/louisiana-brookhill-ferry-shipwreck/

02/07/2020

WORLD WAR II LIBERTY SHIP TO ARRIVE AT TEMPORARY BALTIMORE HOME
February 4, 2020
After months of angst over the future of the World War II Liberty Ship S.S. John W. Brown, Bay Bulletin can report that the museum ship has now secured temporary and forever homes– both in her home port of Baltimore.

Last November, Project Liberty Ship, the volunteer-run nonprofit that operates the John W. Brown, announced that she would lose her berth on the Canton docks in Southeast Baltimore because there was no way to pay the lease. If another Baltimore pier large enough for the 440-foot ship with public access couldn’t be found, the liberty ship might have had to move to a different city. That would not only be a shame since she was built in Baltimore, but would also pose problems for her devoted volunteers, who live mostly in the area.

Then, in the last few days of 2019, Project Liberty Ship announced it had found the perfect solution: Baltimore shipbuilder Maritime Applied Physics Corp. will build an $18 million custom dock for the John W. Brown at the former Bethlehem Steel site where the ship happened to be built and launched in 1942.

But with the new dock’s completion expected in another two years, questions remained about where the Liberty Ship would go in the meantime.

Now, with the Brown’s annual winter maintenance finished up at a Norfolk, Virginia shipyard, Project Liberty Ship says she’s headed for an interim mooring site at Pier 13 on the Canton waterfront, around the corner from her previous home.

In the new location, the Liberty Ship will be able to continue pierside visits and living history cruises that feature 1940s-era entertainment and vintage aircraft fly-bys. Three cruises are set for this year. John W. Brown is one of two remaining operational World War II Liberty Ships out of 2,710 built in an emergency shipbuilding program to carry troops and cargo. She’s an important monument to the war effort.

Read more at the Chesapeake Bay Magazine
https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/world-war-ii-liberty-ship-to-arrive-at-temporary-baltimore-home/

03/01/2017

03/01/2017

03/01/2017

03/01/2017