2023 Conference – Protecting Wrecks for 50 Years

The National Archaeology Society Conference takes place 18^th – 19_^th November 2023, online via the Zoom Webinar platform.

#ArchConf23 #PWA50 – Presentations / Panel Discussion / Short Workshops and Q&As / Quiz

The two day online conference and associated activities will be marking and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973). You can download the full programme here.

The themed conference will look back at the origins of the Act, as well as providing a platform for current practitioners (both professional and avocational) to present their work on Protected Wrecks.

The event will also look at the future for heritage management and protection by inviting key people within the sector to discuss their views and vision.

This year the conference is being held online via Zoom, to allow delegates from all over the world to attend the event virtually at a low cost. Presentations will be recorded to create digital outputs that will be uploaded to our YouTube Channel.

You can also join NAS staff at pubs in Portsmouth and Bristol on the Saturday night.

5 credits are available per day to delegates that wish to claim them as part of their Education Programme qualifications. International attendees can also use the conference towards their NAS Part 2 qualification. If you would like to claim your credits after the conference please contact us by email to have the credits added to your profile.

Registration

Register here via the NAS Membership and Events Portal. If you don’t already have one you will need to create an account.

One price gives you access to the whole weekend. Thanks to the support of our sponsors and supporters tickets are discounted for Licensees, Licence Team Members and Students. The Zoom link will be provided the day before the conference.

• Licensees and Licenced Team Members: £10.00.
• Students: £10.00.
• NAS Members – Early Bird (closed on 27th October 2023 at 16:00): £25.00.
• Standard: £35.00.

Programme

Day 1: Saturday 18th November 2023 (timetable may be subject to late changes)

Venue: Online on the Zoom Webinar Platform. Link provided to delegates the day before the event. All times are GMT.

• 09.30 – 09.40: Welcome, Mark Beattie-Edwards, Nautical Archaeology Society.
• 09.40 – 10.20: Dartmouth: A Golden Jubilee, Dr Colin Martin.
• 10.20 – 11.00: The Origins of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, Dr Peter Marsden and Valerie Fenwick.
• 11.00 – 11.30: Break – Conference Quiz – Name that Protected Wreck.
• 11.30 – 12.30: Panel Session – Protecting Wrecks for 50 Years, Chaired by Robert Yorke, Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee & NAS Vice President.

Panellists include Terry Newman (Historic England), Philip Robertson (Historic Environment Scotland), Colin Dunlop (DAERA Northern Ireland), Julie Satchell (Maritime Archaeology Trust), Dr David Parham (Bournemouth University), Jane Maddocks (BSAC), Peter Marsden, and Mark Beattie-Edwards (NAS).

• 12.30 – 14.00: Lunch Break /  13.00 – 13.30 Project Ideas Development Workshop with Alison James, MSDS Marine & NAS Trustee.
• 14.00 – 14.05: Welcome back, Mark Beattie-Edwards, Nautical Archaeology Society.
• 14.05 – 14.45: The Misidentification of a Shipwreck in Cardigan Bay, West Wales, Ian Cundy, MADU.
• 14.45 – 15.30: Making the Past Accessible, Diving Into the Digital Archives of the Earl of Abergavenny, Nick Reed & David Carter, Portland Museum.
• 15.30 – 16.00: Break – Meet the Protected Wrecks Association Q&A.
• 16.00 – 16.40: La Girona and the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, Dr Rory McNeary, Department for Communities NI.
• 16:40 – 17:15: MSDS Marine Awards and NAS Education Programme Presentations.
• 17:15 – 17:20: Closing remarks.

Saturday Evening Conference Meet Ups

Join us on the Saturday night in Portsmouth and Bristol for a little social dinner and drinks. 

• Mark & Sara will be at the Still and West Pub in Old Portsmouth from 7pm – to join contact Mark at mark@nauticalarchaeologysociety.org.
• Peta will be at the Hole in the Wall, 2 The Grove, Bristol, BS1 4QZ from 7pm – to join contact Peta on education@nauticalarchaeologysociety.org.
• NAS Trustee Alison James will be at the Ye Olde Dolphin, 5 Queen Street, Derby DE1 3DL. Contact alison@msdsmarine.co.uk to join.
• NAS Trustee Cat Holt will be at the Coastguards, Bay Hill, St Margarets Bay, Dover CT15 6DY. Contact Catherine.Holt@DOVER.GOV.UK to join the group.

Hopefully more locations to be announced. Watch this space.

Day 2: Sunday 19th November 2023 (timetable may be subject to late changes)

Venue: Online on the Zoom Webinar Platform. Link provided to delegates the day before the event

• 09.50 – 10:00: Welcome, Mark Beattie-Edwards, Nautical Archaeology Society.
• 10.00 – 10.30: 50 Years of Protection: What about the Next 50? Professor Dave Parham, Bournemouth University.
• 10.30 – 11.00: Women and Protected Wrecks: Examining Engagement, Lauren Tidbury, Maritime Archaeology Trust.
• 11.00 – 11.30: Break – Women & Protected Wrecks Q&A, with Lauren Tidbury & Julie Satchell, Maritime Archaeology Trust.
• 11.30 – 12.00: Guns at Sea – How Nautical Archaeology Transformed the Study of Early Naval Gunnery, Nicholas Hall & Alex Hildred, Mary Rose Trust.
• 12:00 – 12:30: Frankly my dear, do I give a damn? Graham Scott, Wessex Archaeology.
• 12.30 – 14.00: Lunch Break / 13.00 – 13.30 Licensee – why would you do it? Mark Pearce, Coronation Wreck Project, Ron Howell, South-West Maritime Archaeology Group. Hosted by Peta Knott, NAS.
• 14.00 – 14.05: Welcome back, Mark Beattie-Edwards, Nautical Archaeology Society.
• 14.05 – 14.45: The societal impact of a meaningful understanding of our Protected Wrecks – the A1 submarine as a case study, Dr Douglas McElvogue, TrenDive and Martin Davies & Alison Mayor, Southsea Sub-Aqua Club.
• 14.45 – 15.30: Investigating the Mortar Wreck, Tom Cousins, Bournemouth University.
• 15.30 – 16.15: Break.
• 16.15 – 16.50: Protecting Wrecks for the next 50 years: Security Schemes, Forensic Marking and Enforcement, Alison James, MSDS Marine.
• 16:50 – 17:00: Closing remarks and end of conference.