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 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 leg ...

. He is also a published

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

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 be ...

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 language, 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 photographe ...

. 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,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n-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 Archi ...

in the western

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. He has worked on the wrecks of Spanish galleons,

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 "s ...

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 A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...

and submarines.

Discoveries

''H. L. Hunley''

Spence first reported the discovery of the

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

Hunley Hunley is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: People *Con Hunley (born 1945), American country music singer *Gary Hunley (born 1948), American child actor *Helen Hunley (born 1920), Canadian politician *Horace Lawson Hunley (1823-1 ...

'' 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 v ...

. 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 The South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, or SCIAA, was founded in 1963 as a research institute at University of South Carolina and as a State cultural resource management agency. In the latter capacity, SCIAA is part of the E ...

(

SCIAA The South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, or SCIAA, was founded in 1963 as a research institute at University of South Carolina and as a State cultural resource management agency. In the latter capacity, SCIAA is part of the Ex ...

) and National Underwater and Marine Agency (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 ...

. Later the same year, at the official request of Senator Glenn F. McConnell (

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

), of the State of South Carolina ''Hunley'' Commission, Spence donated all of his rights to the

shipwreck 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 ...

to the State. The ''Hunley'' discovery was described by William Dudley, Director of Naval History at the Naval Historical Center as probably the most important (underwater archaeological) find of the (20th) century." The tiny

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 Discovery ...

and donation one of the most significant and valuable contributions ever made to the State of South Carolina. In 2016 the

Naval History and Heritage Command 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. ...

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 ''

'', Spence has discovered several historically significant shipwrecks, including the (said to have been the most powerful

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

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 A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

'' 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 The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

winning novel '' 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 on the life of George Alfred Trenholm, a tall, handsome, shipping

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

from Charleston, South Carolina, who had made millions of dollars from

blockade running A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...

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 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 im ...

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 has a ...

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 The Sea Research Society (SRS) is a non-profit organization promoting research and education in marine science and history. Founded in 1972 by underwater archaeologist Dr. E. Lee Spence, SRS undertakes archival research and underwater expeditions ...

, 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 acr ...

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. Spence has an

honorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and th ...

from the United States Army 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 has ...

's organization

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

Education

Spence graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

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 years ...

Degree in

Interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

Studies with an academic 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 im ...

. 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 ''l ...

is a Doctor of Marine Histories (DMH) from

College of Marine Arts The College of Marine Arts was operated as the Sea Research Society's formal higher education wing from 1972 until 1978. It was initially located in Columbia, South Carolina and later moved to Mount Pleasant, outside of Charleston where it was hou ...

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 Edward Lee Spence (born November 1947) is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor (''Diving World'', ''Atlantic C ...

, (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 Georgiana is a Catalan, English, Greek and Romanian name. It is the feminine form of the male name George and a variation of the female names Georgina and Georgia. It comes from the Greek word Γεώργιος, meaning farmer. A variant spellin ...

, 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