National Underwater and Marine Agency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) is a private non-profit organization in the United States, based on a fictional organization from the novels of Clive Cussler, who also heads up the actual organization. NUMA is dedicated to "preserving maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts."
The real NUMA has discovered many sunken ships, including the CSS H. L. Hunley.
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[edit] The Sea Hunters
Cussler and NUMA have helped produce a television series on underwater exploration called The Sea Hunters, which chronicles the discovery and subsequent removal and conservation of the CSS H. L. Hunley in 1995. The show also features a number of other shipwrecks in various international locations, and on occasion the failure to find anything at all, such as their attempts to find the Holland III prototype submarine. The show features Dr. Cussler and James Delgado, who is also an author and executive director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum. The show gives an in-depth explanation of the story of the shipwreck NUMA is exploring, including information about the ship's history and how it sank. NUMA's expeditions tend to focus on ships of American origin from the early 19th century to the early 20th century, especially on Union and Confederate ships of the American Civil War. Two books titled "The Sea Hunters" were authored by Clive Cussler about NUMA's explorations.
[edit] Trustees
The NUMA Advisory Board of Trustees:
- Clive Cussler, Chairman
- Dirk Cussler, President
- Walter Schob
- Dana Larson
- William Thompson
- William Shea
- Michael Hogan
- Harold Edgerton (Deceased)
- Eric Schonstedt (Deceased)
- Clyde Smith
- Donald Walsh
- Peter Throckmorton (Deceased)
- Kenhelm Stott, Jr. (Deceased)
- Tony Bell (Deceased)
- Douglas Wheeler
- Wayne Gronquist
- Craig Dirgo
- Barbara Knight (Deceased)
- Robert Esbenson (Deceased)
- Ralph Wilbanks
[edit] Current list of expeditions
NUMA has located or attempted to locate the following vessels and marine artifacts:
- HMS Acteon
- USS Akron
- CSS Alabama
- Alexander Nevski, a Russian steam frigate. Stranded off Thyboron in 1868 while carrying the crown prince.
- CSS Arkansas
- SMS Blücher, a German heavy cruiser. Sunk at the battle of Dogger Bank.
- Brutus, a schooner of the Republic of Texas Navy.
- Bonhomme Richard
- USS Carondelet
- RMS Carpathia
- CSS Chicora
- CSS Charleston
- USS Commodore Jones
- USS Cumberland
- USS Cyclops
- CSS Drewry
- HMS Defence, a British battle cruiser sunk during the battle of Jutland.
- HM Bark Endeavour
- CSS Florida
- CSS Fredericksburg
- CSS Gaines
- CSS General Beauregard
- CSS General Lovell
- General Slocum
- CSS General Thompson
- CSS Governor Moore
- Great Stone Fleet
- Greyhound
- HMS Hawke, a first-class British cruiser, sunk by the German U-boat U-9 in October 1914.
- USS Housatonic
- H. L. Hunley
- HMS Invincible, a British battle cruiser sunk at the battle of Jutland.
- Ivanhoe, a Confederate blockade runner.
- CSS Jamestown
- USS Keokuk
- L'Oiseau Blanc ("White Bird"), aircraft flown by Charles Nungesser and François Coli, who vanished on an attempted transatlantic flight in 1927
- Leopoldville, a Belgian troop transport torpedoed outside Cherbourg in 1944.
- Lexington
- Lost Locomotive of Kiowa Creek
- CSS Louisiana
- George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, explorers lost on Mount Everest in 1924.
- CSS Manassas
- Mary Celeste
- USS Milwaukee
- USS Mississippi
- New Orleans
- Norseman, a Confederate blockade runner.
- Northampton, a Confederate cargo ship.
- Odin, a Royal Swedish steamship that ran aground off Jutland in 1836 with the Swedish prime minister on board.
- USS Osage
- CSS Palmetto State
- USS Patapsco
- HMS Pathfinder, British scout cruiser.
- USS Philippe
- Platte Valley
- Raccoon, a Confederate blockade runner.
- Rattlesnake, a Confederate blockade runner.
- HMS Resolution
- CSS Richmond
- Ruby, a Confederate blockade runner.
- S-35, a German destroyer sunk during the battle of Jutland.
- Saint Patrick, a Confederate blockade runner.
- SS Savannah, first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
- HMS Shark, British destroyer sunk during the battle of Jutland.
- Stonewall Jackson, a Confederate blockade runner.
- Sultana, the worst ship disaster in number of lives lost in North America.
- Swamp Angel, famous cannon that fired on Charleston before exploding during the American Civil War.
- Torpedo Raft
- Twin Sisters (cannon), a pair of four-pounder cannon used against General Antonio López de Santa Anna in the battle of San Jacinto.
- U-12, sunk by HMS Ariel in 1915.
- U-20, German U-boat that sank the liner Lusitania in 1915. Ran aground on the Jutland coast in 1916, abandoned by crew and blown up by the Danes.
- U-21, German U-boat, sank in 1919.
- V-48, a German destroyer sunk during the battle of Jutland.
- USS Varuna
- CSS Virginia, a.k.a USS Merrimack.
- CSS Virginia II
- Virginia Navy Fleet sunk by Benedict Arnold
- USS Weehawken
- Waratah
- SMS Wiesbaden, German light cruiser sunk off Jutland.
- Zavala, a steamer in the Republic of Texas Navy.
[edit] The fictional NUMA
In the Dirk Pitt series of adventure novels by Clive Cussler, NUMA is a government organization. The fictional NUMA is devoted to oceanic exploration and investigation, and is the agency employing the main characters in the series of books. Its headquarters is a 30 story building located on the east bank of the Potomac river. It overlooks the Capitol building in Washington, DC. The agency is comprised of over five thousand employees and scientists that often work around the clock on expeditions. It is often referred to as a marine version of NASA.
The fictional NUMA is headed by the character Admiral James Sandecker, with Rudi Gunn as second in command, although Dirk Pitt is eventually asked to take over when Sandecker has political aspirations regarding the vice-presidency.
Housed inside this headquarters is one of world's most advanced computer systems which contains almost every known piece of information, both current and ancient, about the sea. The computer center takes up the entire 10th floor but is in an "open" setting with a raised circular platform that uses a hologram to display Hiram Yeager's computer's emodiment, named Max, at its center. There are no cubicles. Hiram Yeager designed, runs and maintains the computer lab.
