Research on Good Practice in the Protection and Management of World War II Related Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Pacific Small Island States and Territories

Preface: "The Pacific Ocean was a significant path for exploration, immigration, colonization, and trades, as well as the setting for naval battles and warfare. Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) in this region varies in time periods from the Prehistoric time to World War II (WWII). Of the identified UCH, vessels assigned to the WWII period occupy a large proportion. For example, over 3,800 WWII wrecks are in the registry of the Pacific Ocean Pollution Prevention Program with a combined tonnage of 13.5 million tons. The wrecks include the remnant of submarines to aircraft. New wrecks are being discovered constantly. Some of the WWII UCH present certain risks such as Unexploded Ordinances (UXO), toxic weaponry and crude oil that threaten not only visiting tourists but the local community. At the 2011 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, leaders called on relevant international bodies and development partners to assist in addressing UXO in the region and called for the safe removal of oil from shipwrecks. On the other hand, a number of these WWII UCH have become well known tourism and educational places. Apart from the USS Arizona Memorial which is the large number of visitors and important destination in Hawaii, sites such as the sunken Japanese fleet in the Chuuk lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia, UCH trails in Saipan, and the Helmet Wreck and other vessels in Pala are some of the examples that provide communities with significant economic benefits from tourism in the Pacific nations. Considering this situation, research on good practices in the protection and management of WWII UCH is deemed necessary to provide models for a broad range of stakeholders involved. The joint-research led by maritime archaeologists and heritage officers from the Bureau of Arts and Culture, Republic of Palau with support from the UNESCO APIA undertook a feasibility study of WWII UCH in the Pacific region for their protection and sustainable use with a focus on tourism and education, UXO, and entombed human remains." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Palau Historic Preservation Office, Bureau of Cultural and Historical Preservation, Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs, administered by the Pacific West Regional Office, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Research on Good Practice in the Protection and Management of World War II Related Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Pacific Small Island States and Territories

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