The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973; it has been of interest to salvagers and later archaeologists since the early 19th century.

The 1779 Penobscot Expedition was a military response by the state of Massachusetts (of which Maine was then part) to the seizure of Castine by British forces in June 1779.

Beset by poor leadership, the amphibious expedition was scattered by the arrival of a British fleet on the bay.

[2] Between 1994 and 1997 surveys conducted by the University of Maine located several wrecks in the Penobscot, tentatively identified as the USS Warren and the transport Samuel.

These prompted archaeological teams from the United States Navy (which retains an interest in military shipwrecks) to conduct preliminary surveys in 1999, and more detailed fieldwork and excavation in 2000 and 2001.