[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 143 (Monday, July 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40108-40109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-19980]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Request for Proposals for the Archaeological 
Investigation of the Civil War Submarine H.L. Hunley, Lost off the 
Coast of Charleston, South Carolina on February 17, 1864, After 
Successfully Attacking the USS Housatonic

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy hereby gives notice of its Request 
for Proposals for the archaeological investigation of the H.L. Hunley. 
In 1996 the Department of the Navy entered into a Programmatic 
Agreement under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
for the management of this historic shipwreck. Other parties to the 
Programmatic Agreement are the General Services Administration, the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the South Carolina Hunley 
Commission, and the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer. 
The Programmatic Agreement requires decisions on the suitability of 
proposals for recovery and presentation of the Hunley be made by the 
Navy and the South Carolina Hunley Commission after obtaining the 
recommendations of members of the Hunley Oversight Committee. The 
Committee is an interagency group consisting of the Navy, the 
Department of the Interior, the General Services

[[Page 40109]]

Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
the Smithsonian Institution, and the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation. The Committee will also consider any public comments.
    The Programmatic Agreement provides for individuals and 
organizations to submit proposals regarding the archeological 
investigation of the Hunley.
    Any party interested in implementing any of the following aspects 
of archeological investigation of the Hunley that includes: (1) data 
recovery at the site; (2) raising of the vessel; (3) recovery and 
treatment of human remains; (4) conservation and curation; (5) public 
participation and education during the archeological investigation; and 
(6) future exhibition and interpretation, must submit a comprehensive 
proposal and an overall financial plan to the Navy. The proposal must 
also include an abstract suitable for public distribution and comment.
    The Navy will provide abstracts of all proposals it receives to the 
Hunley Oversight Committee and organizations identified by the Navy, in 
consultation with the National Park Service and the South Carolina 
Hunley Commission, as potentially having an interest in the conduct of 
archeological investigations of the Hunley.
    Upon request, the Navy will provide these organizations with copies 
of entire proposals, excluding any proprietary data. Parties interested 
in conducting any of the archeological investigation of the Hunley will 
be required to bid upon a Request for Proposal and enter into a 
contract with the South Carolina Hunley Commission. Initial contracts 
will cover the following: data recovery at the site; raising of the 
vessel; recovery and treatment of human remains; and initial 
conservation of the vessel. Preference will be given to contractors who 
can provide a comprehensive plan for these management aspects. 
Contracts for the recovery and preservation will be with the South 
Carolina Hunley Commission.

DATES: Anyone wishing to submit an initial proposal to the Navy must 
submit it by November 1, 1998. The Navy will request that the South 
Carolina Hunley Commission provide information regarding the 
contracting process that includes instructions on obtaining a copy of 
the Request for Proposals and the dates for submitting responses to it. 
The Navy shall share any comments on the Programmatic Agreement with 
other parties to it.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Programmatic Agreement are available from: The 
Naval Historical Center, Underwater Archaeology Branch, Washington Navy 
Yard, 901 M Street SE, Washington, DC 20374-5060, or, the Naval 
Historical Center Homepage:
http://www.history.navy.mil

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Robert S. Neyland, Underwater 
Archaeologist, Naval Historical Center, Underwater Archaeology Branch, 
Washington Navy Yard, 901 M Street SE, Washington, DC 20374-5060, 
telephone (202) 433-9784.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 470, 36 CFR Part 800.

    Dated: July 16, 1998.
Lou Rae Langevin,
LT, JAGC, USN, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 98-19980 Filed 7-24-98; 8:45 am]
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