johnstonpf@nmah.si.edu

Paul Johnston's interest in the sea began at the age of eight, when he became fascinated by scuba diving through his family doctor. At thirteen he was YMCA-certified as a basic scuba diver, and worked for the dive shop and taught sailing on Nantucket island during college summers. He also took the NAUI instructor's course at Erie, PA during college. After earning a BA in English literature from Middlebury College, he moved back to Nantucket and volunteered on a local archaeological dig of an early Indian site. A copy of the first issue of the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology inspired him to combine his interests in diving, the outdoors, and archaeology.

The only graduate-level program in nautical archaeology at the time was founded by George Bass at the University of Pennsylvania. A year of background studies achieved acceptance into the program, from which he subsequently received a Ph.D. in Archaeology. Seven years as Curator of Maritime History at the Peabody Museum in Salem, MA followed, after which Johnston accepted a job at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, USA. He works there currently as Curator of Maritime History and Curator of Transportation, History of Technology Division, National Museum of American History.

He has worked in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Great Lakes and some great little lakes, rivers and harbors. He has served two terms as the ACUA Chair, as well as Chair of the Archaeology Committee of the Council of American Maritime Museums. He is currently researching and writing up the results of his latest excavations of America's first oceangoing yacht, Cleopatra's Barge, employed as the Royal Yacht of Hawaiian King Kamehameha II when she sank in Hanalei Bay, Kauai on 6 April 1824.