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Historic Significance Evaluations
The National Historic Preservation Act (Public Law 89-665; 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) is legislation intended to preserve historical and archaeological sites in the United States.  

This legislation requires the Navy to identify properties that may have historical significance and to manage and maintain them in a way that considers the preservation of their historic value. This page was created to enable public participation in the process of evaluating which Naval vessels are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

The Advisory Council for Historic Preservation (ACHP) established procedures for evaluating floating vessels for their eligibility to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Naval vessels are an unusual type of property. They are mobile assets that are put into harm’s way and remain in active service for typically less than fifty years.  These procedures were issued in a Program Comment on 5 March 2010.

Qualified Navy historians review the history of vessels which have been decommissioned or are pending decommissioning. They apply four trigger criteria established for Naval vessels. For each evaluated vessel, the Navy’s Preliminary Determination of eligibility or ineligibility for listing in the NRHP is posted on this web page for a 60-day public comment period.

The Navy notifies historic preservation stakeholders, including the Historic Naval Ships Association and other veteran-affiliated organizations, at the beginning of the sixty-day period. The Navy acknowledges and responds to written comments in a Final Determination for the eligibility or ineligibility of a vessel to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  All Final Determinations are archived on the website by year.

In addition to the Preliminary and Final Determinations of vessel eligibility or ineligibility for being listed in the NRHP , the Navy posts its Annual Reports of the Program Comment on this website.