Skip to main content

Project Funding

Research and Fieldwork

The Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of promoting scholarly, ethical research on shipwrecks and maritime sites around the world. INA seeks to assist archaeologists and researchers by providing institutional backing for fundraising activities, loaning equipment, or providing modest grant funding for research and fieldwork. With the exception of the $30,000 Claude Duthuit Archaeology Grant, most awards do not exceed $7,500.

Proposal Details:
To have a new or ongoing project considered by INA’s Archaeological Committee please follow these instructions:

  • Download the INA Proposal Form to your computer BEFORE adding information to the document.
  • Complete the fill-in PDF form.  Save the file as “YOUR NAME_PROJECT NAME_2025.pdf”
  • Attach the form and required supporting documents to an e-mail and send to info@nauticalarch.org.
  • If you have any questions about preparing the INA Project Proposal Form please contact Shelley Wachsmann, swachsmann@tamu.edu.
  • If your project will require SCUBA, please review INA’s diving safety polices. To access diving safety policies and forms please visit the Diving Safety page.
  • Directors of INA-supported projects may be eligible for equipment loan from INA. Please visit INA Equipment to view a list of available items.
  • If you would like your project to be considered for the Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant you must complete and submit an INA Project Proposal form. Please see the instructions above. Section XII of this form pertains to the grant.
  • PLEASE NOTE: The application deadline for projects occurring in 2025 is October 1, 2024.
  • Reports from past funding should be directly submitted to info@nauticalarch.org.

Claude Duthuit Archaeology Grant

INA annually awards the $30,000 Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant to a single underwater archaeological project that captures the innovative, bold, and dedicated spirit of Claude – a pioneer in the field of nautical archaeology. In 1960, Claude Duthuit † accompanied Dr. George Bass † on his first dive to survey the 13th-century shipwreck at Cape Gelidonya, the project that would both introduce and define the field of nautical archaeology to the world. Claude remained an invaluable sponsor and active participant for INA, serving for 30 years as an INA Director and epitomizing the values of commitment, innovation, and willingness to take risks.

2023 Orkan Köyağasıoğlu

(INA)

The Hellenistic Shipwreck at Serçe Limanı, Turkey

Between 1978 and 1980, an INA team directed by Cemal Pulak carried out partial excavation of the wreck, which dates from the third century B.C. based on Knidian amphoras and their stamps found at the site. Other important materials were also recovered, including glazed and plain ware, millstones, marble and lead rings, a wooden toggle, and a lead pipe that may provide the earliest evidence for bilge pump systems. This shipwreck is important in terms of filling a void in the construction chronology of the ships of the ancient Aegean coast. Regrettably, the threat of a rockslide meant that the excavation had to be left unfinished. In 2023, INA and the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology returned to the site with modern capabilities to resume the excavation.

2022 Dr. Deborah Cvikel

(University of Haifa, Israel)

Ma'agan Mikhael B Shipwreck, Israel

The Ma‘agan Mikhael B shipwreck (7th–8th centuries CE), discovered on the Carmel coast of Israel in 2005, yielded a fabulously preserved assemblage of diverse items such as pottery; rigging elements; glass artifacts; foodstuff; and animal bones, due to having been buried under a thick layer of sand for nearly 1300 years. The project will include an in-depth study of the surviving hull remains, analysis of the artifacts, and a broader investigation into the ship’s place in the ‘transition in ship construction’. Analysis of the ship’s remains and finds will afford an opportunity to complete the reconstruction of the hull and loading pattern of the cargo, estimate the number of crew and sailors’ victuals, suggest potential cultural influences, and possible ports-of-call along the ship’s journey before it met its fate on the Carmel coast.

2021 Dr. Miguel San Claudio

(Universidade Nova de Lisboa)

Ribadeo Shipwreck Excavation, Spain

The galleon San Giacomo di Galizia (Santiago de Galicia, Saint James from Galicia) sunk in Ribadeo in 1597. This gigantic 1,200-ton ship was built in Castellammare di Stabia, former Spanish kingdom of Naples and was constructed as a warship, representing the best shipbuilding technology of her time. Discovered in 2011, she has been under study since 2012 by an international team of professionals and students from Europe and the Americas. This year the work will focus on completing the portside excavation and record the ship’s structure in depth.

2021 Dr. Carlos de Juan

(University of Valencia)

El Sec Wreck, Spain

El Sec wreck is dated to ca. 350 BC and is famous for her rich Greek pottery collection, the central tumulus, and the Punic graffiti in Greek pottery, which suggest an ethnic filiation for mariners. The wreck was believed to have been almost completely destroyed from the use of explosives in the ballast tumulus, but an initial survey in 2019 revealed that wood remains are still present on the site. This Claude Duthuit grant will be used to systematically re-excavate portions of the hull that were previously believed to have been destroyed.

2020 Dr. José Casabán

(INA)

Santo Hieronimo Shipwreck Excavation, Croatia

Santo Hieronimo sank at the entrance of the Bay of Suđurađ, on the Island of Šipan (Croatia), in 1576; its remains have been systematically surveyed and excavated since 2014 as part of the Archaeology of Adriatic Shipbuilding and Seafaring (AdriaS) project spearheaded by INA Affiliated Scholar and project co-director Irena Radić Rossi (University of Zadar/INA). The AdriaS project aims to understand the shipbuilding philosophy behind the post-medieval vessels that sailed the Adriatic Sea.

2019 Dr. Cemal Pulak

(Texas A&M University/INA)

Bronze Age Shipwreck Excavation, Turkey

The 2019 Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant was awarded to Dr. Cemal Pulak to support INA’s third Bronze Age shipwreck excavation off of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. This wreck appears to date to the 16th or 15th century B.C. and provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the methodological and metallurgical origins of the earliest copper ingots.

2018 Dr. Justin Leidwanger

(Stanford University/INA)

Marzamemi Maritime Heritage Project, Italy

The 2018 Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant was awarded to Dr. Justin Leidwanger to support a collaborative excavation, survey, and heritage management initiative at Marzamemi, Sicily. The concentration of archaeological sites at this Mediterranean crossroads facilitated inquiry into long-term structures of human interaction. Read more on the Marzamemi Maritime Heritage Project page.

2017 Nicholas Budsberg

(Texas A&M University)

Shipwreck Excavation at Highbourne Cay, Bahamas

Nicholas Budsberg received the Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant to support renewed excavation of what may be the earliest known European ship in the Americas, dated to the beginning of the Age of Exploration (1492-1520). Read more about the history of INA’s work at this site on the Highbourne Cay Iberian Shipwreck project page.

2016 Dr. Carolyn Kennedy

(Texas A&M University)

Shelburne Shipyard Steamboat Graveyard Project, Vermont

The 2016 Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant was awarded to Carolyn Kennedy for the Shelburne Shipyard Steamboat Graveyard Project. The project entails the study of four steamboat hulls at Shelburne Shipyard in Lake Champlain, Vermont.

2015 Dr. Dave Ruff

(Texas A&M University)

Bay of Kastela Excavation, Croatia

Dave Ruff received the Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant to support excavation of a Roman ship in the Bay of Kastela, Croatia. Dave was co-director of the excavation with INA Affiliated Scholar Dr. Irena Radić Rossi of the University of Zadar, Croatia. Learn more about the Bay of Kastela Excavation.

2014 Dr. Kroum Batchvarov

(University of Connecticut)

The Rockley Bay Shipwreck Survey, Tobago

In 2014, Dr. Kroum Batchvarov became the first recipient of INA’s Claude Duthuit Archaeology grant for his work in Rockley Bay, Tobago, where he and his team discovered a 17th-century Dutch ship believed to be the Huis de Kreuningen. Learn more about the Rockley Bay Shipwreck Survey.