The New Jersey Shipwreck Symposium
On Saturday, April 29, 2023, from 2 pm to 6 pm at the InfoAge Science and History
Museums, the New Jersey Historical Divers Association, Inc. (NJHDA) will hold their
annual New Jersey Shipwreck Symposium, “Chambers, Submarines, Schooners and
Sunken Treasure.”
A 50-50 and silent auction are available to help support the museum.
Admission is $30. Payment is available online at www.njhda.org .
Reservations are required as seating is limited. The symposium will be held in the science museums at 2201 Marconi Road, Wall, NJ.
The symposium will be hosted by Mike Lavitt, chairman of the New Jersey Council of
Divers and Clubs, and includes four scheduled presentations. Our speakers include:
Dan Lieb, NJHDA President, will talk about a hyperbaric chamber recently donated to
the museum. The 8-ton chamber will serve to help illustrate the technology involved in
diving and exploring shipwrecks.
Commander Timothy R. Dring, USNR (Retired) will describe the development of tools
and techniques in the U.S. Navy for submarine salvage and rescue. He will discuss the
tragic loss of one submarine, and how the disaster lead to the development of tools and
techniques that resulted in the saving of lives during the subsequent sinking of another
submarine.
Archaeologist Lee Cox, Jr. will talk about the oyster industry at the turn of the last
century and the vessel specifically designed and built and used to harvest oysters in the
Delaware River region. Three wreck sites will be highlighted during his presentation.
Shipwreck explorer Joseph Fiorentino will offer a presentation on expeditions he lead to
Nova Scotia, including the claim for the wreck site of HMS Feversham, a British frigate
lost at Scatarie Island in October 1711.
For the past three years, Mr. Fiorentino has been researching the story of HMS Feversham and Captain Robert Paston for the book Queen Anne’s Treasure by Captain Robert MacKinnon. Mr. Fiorentino and Captain MacKinnon have explored some of the richest shipwrecks in Nova Scotia.
For more information, call the museum at 732-456-5045 or e-mail info@njhda.org.
Use the contact information above for additional information.