National Underwater & Marine Agency
NUMA is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 by Dr. Clive Cussler. Named after the fictional NUMA in Dr. Cussler's novels; NUMA searches for historically significant shipwrecks.
The NUMA mission:
The National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) is a 501C3 non-profit, volunteer foundation dedicated to preserving our maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts.
Our purpose is also to reinforce public appreciation of our marine past, present and future by initiating and supporting projects designed to uncover and explore historically significant shipwrecks before they are lost and gone forever.
Our goals include the protection of these historic sites through public information programs and to make available archaeological reports and data on technical expertise while perpetuating the names and legends of the sea-loving men and women who came before us.
NUMA does not actively seek private funding. Most of the financial support for the projects comes from the royalties from Clive Cussler's books.
Dr. Cussler and Craig Dirgo have written The Sea Hunters, his first non-fiction novel, about twelve of the sites explored by NUMA.
Among their finds:
http://www.numa.net/