Institute of Nautical Archaeology

The mission of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology is "to fill in the gaps of history and provide answers to challenging historical questions through the study and examination of the vessels that have traveled the world's waterways for millennia, carrying people and cargo, and making possible the widespread exchange of ideas, innovation and invention."

INA is a unique international organization working to locate, document, excavate and preserve significant underwater and nautical archaeological sites. Continuing the work that our founders began over 50 years ago, INA researchers are bringing to light those remnants of our collective past that speak most powerfully to us, about who we are, what we have done, and what we are capable of and doing so while upholding the highest scientific, academic and ethical standards. We spend many hours studying our finds and conserving them in our labs. We work hard to place history in museums where it can be shared.