Edward Lee Spence (born November 1947) is a pioneer in

underwater archaeology Underwater archaeology is archaeology practiced underwater. As with all other branches of archaeology, it evolved from its roots in pre-history and in the classical era to include sites from the historical and industrial eras. Its acceptance has ...

who studies

shipwrecks A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

and sunken

treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions le ...

. He is also a published editor and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

reference books; a magazine editor (''Diving World'', ''Atlantic Coastal Diver'', ''Treasure'', ''Treasure Diver'', and ''Treasure Quest''), and magazine

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

(''ShipWrecks'', ''Wreck Diver''); and a published

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

. Spence was twelve years old when he found his first five shipwrecks.Eugene Warner
["Diver Lee Spence"
''Sandlapper'' magazine, (Columbia, SC), April 1970, pp. 40-43"Treasure Diver", by Katherine Hatch, ''Treasure World'', (February–March 1972), pp. 44, 45 Spence's past work has been funded by such institutions as the Savannah Ships of the Sea Museum, the College of Charleston, the South Carolina Committee for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1991 and 1992, Spence served as Chief of Underwater Archeology for San Andres y Providencia, a 40,000 square-mile, Colombian-owned

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

in the western Caribbean. He has worked on the wrecks of Spanish

galleons Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch Wa ...

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

ships, Great Lakes freighters, modern luxury liners (

cruise ships Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "sho ...

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

blockade runners and submarines.

Discoveries

''H. L. Hunley''

Spence first reported the discovery of the

submarine '' Hunley'' in 1970. Spence mapped and reported its location to numerous government agencies. The July 2007 cover story in '' U.S. News & World Report'' noted that the ''Hunley'' "disappeared without a trace" until 1970 when it was found by "underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence." That report made no mention of novelist Clive Cussler, whose organization later (August 2008) dropped a lawsuit in federal district court against Spence in which it had claimed that they and not Spence had discovered the wreck in 1995. Both sides still claim that they and not the other discovered the wreck. On September 13, 1976, the National Park Service submitted Sea Research Society's (Spence's) location for ''H.L. Hunley'' for inclusion on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Spence's location for ''Hunley'' became a matter of public record when ''H.L. Hunley's'' placement on that list was officially approved on December 29, 1978. Spence's book ''Treasures of the Confederate Coast'', which had a chapter on his discovery of ''Hunley'' and included a map complete with an ''"X"'' showing the wreck's location was published in January 1995. In 1995 the discovery was independently verified by a combined South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology ( SCIAA) and

National Underwater and Marine Agency The National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) is a private non-profit organization in the United States founded in 1979. Originally it was a fictional US government organization in the novels of author Clive Cussler. Cussler later created and, ...

(NUMA) expedition directed by SCIAA underwater archaeologist Mark M. Newell and funded in part by novelist

Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached ''The New York Times'' fiction best-seller list m ...

. Later the same year, at the official request of Senator Glenn F. McConnell ( chairman), of the State of South Carolina ''Hunley'' Commission, Spence donated all of his rights to the shipwreck to the State. The ''Hunley'' discovery was described by William Dudley, Director of Naval History at the

Naval Historical Center The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. ...

as probably the most important (underwater archaeological) find of the (20th) century." The tiny submarine and its contents have been valued at over $40,000,000 making the

discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

and

donation A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as ...

one of the most significant and valuable contributions ever made to the State of South Carolina. In 2016 the Naval History and Heritage Command published a detailed report on the history, discovery, and restoration of the ''Hunley'' entitled ''H. L. Hunley: Recovery Operations'' suggesting that it is most likely Spence found a nearby buried navigation buoy rather than the ''Hunley''.

Other discoveries

In addition to the '' Hunley'', Spence has discovered several historically significant shipwrecks, including the (said to have been the most powerful cruiser built by the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

). South Carolina's law protecting both the state's and the salvors' interests in shipwrecks was passed following Spence's discovery of the ''Georgiana'' and his company Shipwrecks Inc. was granted South Carolina State Salvage License #1. Spence states he has salvaged over $50,000,000 in valuable artifacts and has been responsible, through his archival research, for the location of the wrecks of the side-paddle-wheel steamers '' Republic'' and ''

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

'' from which over one billion dollars in treasure has been recovered. On April 4, 1989, Spence announced his discovery that

Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American novelist and journalist. Mitchell wrote only one novel, published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel '' Gone with the Wind'', for which she wo ...

, who had claimed her Pulitzer Prize winning novel ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' was pure fiction, had actually taken much of her compelling story of love, greed and war from real life and that Mitchell had actually based

Rhett Butler Rhett Butler (Born in 1828) is a fictional character in the 1936 novel '' Gone with the Wind'' by Margaret Mitchell and in the 1939 film adaptation of the same name. It is one of Clark Gable's most recognizable and significant roles. Role Rh ...

on the life of

George Alfred Trenholm George Alfred Trenholm (February 25, 1807 – December 9, 1876) was a South Carolina businessman, financier, politician, and slaveholding planter who owned several plantations and strongly supported the Confederate States of America. He was a ...

, a tall, handsome, shipping magnate from Charleston, South Carolina, who had made millions of dollars from blockade running and was accused of making off with much of the Confederate treasury and had been thrown in prison after the Civil War. Spence's literary discovery that had its roots in his prior discoveries of some of Trenholm's wrecked blockade runners made international news. The ''Encyclopedia Of Civil War Shipwrecks'' by W. Craig Gaines additionally credits Spence with the discoveries of the following Civil War wrecks: the ''Constance'' (lost 1864, found 1967); (lost 1864, found 1970); ''Keokuk'' (lost 1863, found 1971); ''Minho'' (lost 1862, found 1965); ''Presto'' (lost 1864, found 1967); ''Ruby'' (lost 1863, found 1966); ''Stonewall Jackson'' (lost 1863, found 1965). Spence's own books, as well as numerous third party books, newspaper and magazine accounts, and archaeological reports describe his discoveries of the blockade runners ''Mary Bowers'' and ''Norseman'' and dozens of other ships of all types and nations in waters all over the world spanning a time period of over two thousand years. In June 2013 Spence announced his discovery of the wreck of the SS ''Ozama'', a steamer with a history of smuggling, which had been wrecked off the South Carolina coast in 1894.

Cartography

Spence is also a cartographer and has published a number of popular and archaeological (proximal,

contour Contour may refer to: * Contour (linguistics), a phonetic sound * Pitch contour * Contour (camera system), a 3D digital camera system * Contour, the KDE Plasma 4 interface for tablet devices * Contour line, a curve along which the function ha ...

and conformant) maps and charts dealing with historical events, archaeology, shipwrecks and treasure. * ''Shipwrecks of Hilton Head & Vicinity'' chart by Lee Spence, (Shipwreck Press, Sullivan's Island, S.C., 1980
OCLC: 15281285
* ''Shipwrecks of Wreck Valley'' : ew York City and Long Island regionschart by E. Lee Spence (Shipwreck Press, Sullivan's Island, SC, 1990
OCLC: 40228884
* ''Shipwrecks of the Civil War : Charleston, South Carolina, 1861-1865'' map by E. Lee Spence, (Shipwreck Press, Sullivan's Island, S.C., 1984
OCLC: 11214217
* ''Spence's Chart of Shipwrecks of Charleston, S.C.: over 250 wrecks'' map by E. Lee Spence (Shipwreck Press, Sullivan's Island, S.C., 1980
OCLC: 40228884
* ''Gold Bug: Treasure Chart, Edgar A. Poe'' by E. Lee Spence, (Sullivan's Island, SC: E. Lee Spence, 1981
OCLC: 49829303
* ''South Carolina Shipwrecks, 1520-1776'' by E. Lee Spence (Charleston, S.C. : E. Lee Spence, 1976
OCLC: 6270298

International Diving Institute

Spence is a founder, owner, and Vice President of the International Diving Institute, one of fewer than a dozen schools in North America that teaches and certifies commercial deep sea divers.http://www.International Diving Institute.com

Credentials and affiliations

Current President and Chairman of the Board of the Sea Research Society, Spence is a past member of both the Board of Directors of the American Military Museum and Board of Directors of the Cardiovascular Research Institute of the

Medical University of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in South Carolina. It opened in 1824 in Charleston as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities ac ...

in Charleston. He is a lifetime member of

Mensa International Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organisation open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test. Mensa formally compr ...

and a former member of

Intertel Intertel (previously the International Legion of Intelligence) is a high-IQ society founded in 1966, that is open to those who have scored at or above the 99th percentile (top 1%) on one of various standardized tests of intelligence. It has been ...

. Spence has an honorable discharge from the United States

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

and has served as Commander and Vice Commander for Post #10 of the

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

's organization American Legion.

Education

Spence graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina in 1976, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with an

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

concentration in

marine archaeology Maritime archaeology (also known as marine archaeology) is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, s ...

and won the Donald O. Bushman Award in

cartography Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

. His

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

is a Doctor of Marine Histories (DMH) from Sea Research Society's College of Marine Arts.

Bibliography

* ''The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice & Success in the Civil War'' by Mark Ragan (Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995) * ''A Look at South Carolina's Underwater Heritage'', by E. Lee Spence (Nelson Southern Printing, Charleston, South Carolina, 1974
OCLC: 11121049
* ''Treasures of the Confederate Coast: the "real Rhett Butler" & Other Revelations'' by Dr. E. Lee Spence, (Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995)
OCLC: 32431590
* ''Shipwreck Encyclopedia of the Civil War: South Carolina & Georgia, 1861-1865'' by Edward Lee Spence (Sullivan's Island, S.C., Shipwreck Press, 1991
OCLC: 24420089
* ''Shipwrecks of South Carolina and Georgia : (includes Spence's List, 1520-1865)'' by E. Lee Spence, Sullivan's Island, S.C. (Sullivan's Island 29482, Sea Research Society, 1984
OCLC 10593079
* ''Shipwrecks, Pirates & Privateers: Sunken Treasures of the Upper South Carolina Coast, 1521-1865'' by E. Lee Spence, (Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995) * ''Spence's Guide to South Carolina : diving, 639 shipwrecks (1520–1813), saltwater sport fishing, recreational shrimping, crabbing, oystering, clamming, saltwater aquarium, 136 campgrounds, 281 boat landings'' by E. Lee Spence, (Nelson Southern Printing, Sullivan's Island, S.C.: Spence, 1976
OCLC: 2846435
* ''Wreck of the Georgiana, mystery ship of the Confederacy'' by E. Lee Spence, (Sullivan's Island, S.C. : Shipwreck Press, 1988
OCLC: 50414449
* ''Shipwrecks of Charleston Harbor'' by E. Lee Spence (Sullivan's Island, SC : Shipwreck Press, 1980
OCLC: 6908900
* ''Shipwrecks of the Era of the Revolution : South Carolina & Georgia, 1763-1783'' by E. Lee Spence, (Sullivan's Island, SC : Shipwreck Press Inc., 1991
OCLC: 39977318
* ''Shipwrecks: "the magazine"'' edited by E Lee Spence, (Sullivan's Island, SC: Shipwreck Press, 1989–1991, Narwhal Press 1995-
OCLC: 20784612
* ''On This Day''(October 25, 1970) StarCliqu

References

External links

Sea Research Society links to ''Hunley''

The Hunley.com website dedicated to ''Hunley''
Link fails: see Talk page.
Find Spence's books & maps in a library with WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, E. Lee 1947 births Living people American archaeologists American book editors American encyclopedists 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers American magazine editors American photojournalists American underwater divers Treasure hunters Underwater archaeologists Maritime archaeology Underwater photographers Mensans Writers from Charleston, South Carolina Leon High School alumni Historians from Florida American male non-fiction writers