From Titanic to the ‘Ghost Ship’ Mary Celeste: Maritime Archaeologist to Delve into Undersea Mysteries and Exploration at McFaddin-Ward House Museum Lecture Nov. 13

From Titanic to the ‘Ghost Ship’ Mary Celeste: Maritime Archaeologist to Delve into Undersea Mysteries and Exploration at McFaddin-Ward House Museum Lecture Nov. 13

Beaumont, TX; Oct. 27, 2025 – Maritime archaeologist, television host, and award-winning author James Delgado will take a deep dive into fascinating undersea mysteries, storied shipwrecks, and underwater exploration during “Lost, Unknown, and Then Found: The Great Museum of the Sea,” a free public lecture presented by the McFaddin-Ward House Museum on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Visitor Center Lecture Hall (1906 Calder Avenue, Beaumont).

The ocean is the largest museum on earth with more than one million lost ships resting in its depths, some dating back millennia, and Delgado has spent decades working around the globe in this mesmerizing world through underwater exploration.

“In my nearly five decades of archaeological investigation, exploration, and discovery, what emerges is a powerful story of people, and especially of the role of the ships and shipping in humanity’s spread across the globe,” Delgado said. “The sea is the highway by which some of the greatest migrations in history took place; it is our greatest battlefield, our largest graveyard, the source of much of our food—and it is the largest and greatest museum of our history.”

Delgado has worked on some of the most famous shipwreck sites in history, including the Titanic, the lost fleet of Kublai Khan, the USS Arizona, the fabled “ghost ship” Mary Celeste and the atomic bombed fleet at Bikini Atoll. His expeditions have solved long-lasting maritime mysteries, bringing closure to families and connecting the modern world with powerful, human stories from the past. Delgado has also been responsible for bringing back the first images from some of these wrecks, most recently the hangar deck inside the carrier USS Yorktown, sunk in the Battle of Midway in 1942.

“What stands out most is that moment when you first see a shipwreck emerge from the darkness; there is a certain ‘ghost town’ element that is both compelling, and yet it also makes you want to look away,” Delgado said. “What is revealed may be a ship lost but never forgotten, like Titanic, or something that no one has seen for centuries, if not millennia. For me, it has been a life-long quest to explore and learn from that which is buried beneath the ground or the sea.”

During his 46-year career, Delgado has served as executive director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum, as both executive director and president of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University and as director of the Maritime Heritage Program for the National Park Service and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He also hosted the popular television documentary series, “The Sea Hunters,” for its full six-season run. He subsequently helped create the popular National Geographic international television series “Drain the Oceans,” which still runs on Disney Plus and the National Geographic Channel.

“My career has involved working as an archaeologist in the field—digging on land, on beaches, and underwater—as well as diving and exploring with scuba, in submersibles, and with deep-sea robotic vehicles,” Delgado said. “I’ve also worked in museums, as a teacher, and as a public servant, including being a park ranger. I have been fortunate to share what I have learned—and to learn—through interacting with people. While the work has reached billions, especially with broadcasts, my favorite is the one-on-one when I meet people and hear from them. That is what I look forward to the most in Beaumont.”

Delgado holds a Ph.D. in Archaeology from Simon Fraser University. He has published actively in leading archaeology and history journals and has written, co-authored, or edited 36 books on archaeology and history, most recently “The Great Museum of the Sea: A Human History,” released in July 2025.

“I went into archaeology because I am fascinated by the past and how archaeology can bring new evidence and forgotten stories to light,” Delgado said. “The key moment when maritime archaeology took hold was in May 1978 when I watched the long-buried hull of the whaling ship Niantic emerge from the mud and sand landfill in downtown San Francisco, in the shadow of skyscrapers and blocks from the sea. Sealed by mud, part of it was still loaded with goods from the California Gold Rush, some of them well-preserved. You might say it was love at first sight.”

McFaddin-Ward House Museum lectures are admission free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information, call 409-832-2134.

For those unable to attend, the full lecture will be available for viewing on the museum YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@mcfaddinwardhouse) and website (mcfaddin-ward.org/about/videos) after the event.

Built in 1905-1906 in the distinctive Beaux-Arts Colonial style, the McFaddin-Ward House reflects the lifestyle of the prominent family that lived in the house for 75 years. The museum features admission-free tours, educational programming, year-round events, a carriage house exhibit, and gardens.