James Preston Delgado | |
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Born | James Preston Delgado January 11, 1958 San Jose, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Maritime archaeologist, explorer, author, TV host, historian |
Spouse | Ann Goodhart |
Awards |
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Known for | His work on underwater exploration and shipwreck investigations |
Academic background | |
Education |
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Alma mater | Simon Fraser University |
Influences | Theodore "Ted" C. Hinckley, Constance B. "Connie" Perham, Edwin C. Bearss |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Archaeology, history, journalism |
Sub-discipline | Maritime archaeology, maritime history, underwater research |
Main interests | Maritime archaeology, shipwreck investigations, and the preservation and documentation of maritime heritage |
Website | jamesdelgado |
James Preston Delgado FRGS, FRCGS (born January 11, 1958) is an American maritime archaeologist, historian, maritime preservation expert, author, television host, and explorer. Delgado is a maritime archaeologist with over four decades of experience in underwater exploration. He has participated in over 100 shipwreck investigations worldwide, including notable sites such as the RMS Titanic, USS Independence (CVL-22), USS Conestoga (AT-54), USS Monitor, USS Arizona (BB-39), USS Nevada (BB-36), Sub Marine Explorer, the buried Gold Rush ships of San Francisco, the atomic bomb test fleet at Bikini Atoll, the slave ship Clotilda,[1] and Kublai Khan's lost fleet from the Mongol invasions of Japan.
Delgado has held significant positions in maritime museums, the U.S. National Park Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) maritime heritage programs. He has also been involved in academic and public presentations, university teaching, and has appeared in numerous television documentaries. He has developed standards and guidelines for the U.S. National Park Service's National Historic Landmark Studies to preserve maritime shipwrecks and maritime cultural sites.
Delgado has authored over 200 academic articles and more than 35 books, and he edited the first encyclopedia of underwater and maritime archaeology. He was named a Fellow of the Explorers Club in 1997 and is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and an Officer in Spain's Order of Civil Merit.