What is the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) at nauticalarch.org?

Updated

The Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) is a non-profit, international research organization founded in 1972 by Dr. George F. Bass, who pioneered the science of archaeological excavation under water. Based on the site, INA "excavates shipwrecks and conducts archaeological research to shed light on the human interaction with the sea." If you want to understand who runs it, what it actually does, and how to engage with it, this covers the essentials.

What INA is and what it does

INA describes itself as a non-profit, international research organization. Its stated purpose is to excavate shipwrecks and conduct archaeological research that illuminates how humans have interacted with the sea.

The scope is broader than a single wreck. According to the site, over half a century INA archaeologists have conducted fieldwork and research leading to the location, excavation, preservation, and publication of dozens of shipwrecks and other sites of nautical significance. That four-part sequence—find, dig, conserve, publish—is the clearest summary of what the organization treats as its core work.

Who founded it and who runs it

  • Founder: Dr. George F. Bass (1932–2021), described by INA as the pioneer of the science of archaeological excavation under water.
  • Co-Founder: Ann Bass, who with George Bass hosted the first meeting of the INA Board of Directors.
  • Executive Director: Cynthia Eiseman, who published the first issue of the INA Quarterly.
  • President: Debbie Carlson.

INA received status as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization from the United States government. Its governance and people are documented on the site under sections for the Board of Directors, Officers & Administration, the Bodrum Research Center Team, Affiliated Scholars, Research Associates, Partners, and Key Figures.

Key milestones

Year Event
1972 INA founded by Dr. George F. Bass
1973 First INA field school organized; first Board of Directors meeting held; first issue of the INA Quarterly published
2023 INA's 50th year, marked with webinars, a commemorative 50th volume of the INA Quarterly, and a film about INA's first shipwreck survey in 1973

What the website offers

The site is organized around several functions:

  • Projects — current and upcoming fieldwork, listed by year (including 2025 and 2026 project pages).
  • Publications — INA Books, the INA Quarterly, the INA Quarterly Archive, and INA Archives.
  • Media — videos, INA webinars, and downloadable backgrounds.
  • News & Events — including the INA Wednesday Webinar series.
  • Funding — separate pages for Project Funding and Publication Funding.
  • About — mission, history, the Bodrum Research Center, and the research vessel.

How to get involved or support INA

The site lists four main ways to participate:

  1. Donate — contribute to support an INA project.
  2. Join INA — become a member; the site frames membership as helping "bring history to light through the science of shipwreck archaeology."
  3. Shop INA — purchase from the online store.
  4. Attend — join an INA Wednesday Webinar.

Note that the site does not publish prices, membership fees, or donation amounts on the pages reviewed here, so check the individual Donate, Join, and Shop pages for current figures and any login requirements.

Where to start

If you are new to INA, the About section (Mission, History, People) gives the institutional background, while the Projects and INA Quarterly pages show the actual output of the work. For direct engagement, the Donate, Join INA, and Shop INA links are the primary entry points, and the webinar series is the lowest-commitment way to follow current research.