Friends of Oceanography Free Public Lecture
Explores Shipwrecks in Narragansett Bay

Narragansett, RI -- November 22, 2000 -- Friends of Oceanography at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography invites the public learn about "Marine Resources of a Cultural Kind: Shipwreck Archaeology in Narragansett Bay" in a free lecture given by Dr. Roderick Mather, URI Assistant Professor of Maritime History and

Underwater Archaeology.

The lecture will be held on Thursday, December 7, at 7 p.m. in the Coastal Institute Auditorium on the URI Narragansett Bay Campus. The presentation will focus on the importance and challenges of shipwreck archaeology in Narragansett Bay and why shipwrecks should be regarded as important, irreplaceable, and finite marine-resources worthy of public protection and concern.

His lecture will recount the story of the Revolutionary War frigate HMS Cerberus lost in Narragansett Bay in 1778, the remains of which URI scientists discovered during the mid-1970s. The subsequent investigations proved to be controversial. Mather will demonstrate that past and present investigations of the site are illustrative of the evolution of underwater archaeology as a vital academic discipline.

Mather received his M.A. in maritime history and nautical archaeology from East Carolina University, and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Oxford, England. His research interests include the archaeological investigation of historic

shipwrecks and the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to submerged cultural resource management. He is a contributing author of Plenum Press' forthcoming International Handbook of Underwater Archaeology.

This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information or directions, call Friends of Oceanography at 874-6602.

Friends of Oceanography is a community-based membership organization established in 1986 to support the educational and public programs of the URI Graduate School Oceanography. Friends provides financial support of fellowships for GSO students, and other research, education, and outreach activities. The organization also helps sponsor a variety of special events such as The JASON Project, oceanography lectures, Bounty on the Bay Day, the Annual Friends of Oceanography Auction, open houses, and the Narragansett Bay Classroom.

Contact: Lisa Cugini, (401) 874-6642, lcugini@gso.uri.edu