National Underwater and Marine Agency

The National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) is a private non-profit organization in the United States. Originally it was a fictional US government organization in the novels of author Clive Cussler. Cussler later created and now leads the actual organization which is dedicated to "preserving our maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts.” Additionally "NUMA does not actively seek private funding. Most of the financial support for the projects comes from the royalties from Clive Cussler’s books."

NUMA has discovered many sunken ships. The wreck of the Confederate States Navy submarine H. L. Hunley was confirmed by NUMA in 1995, using information from Dr. E. Lee Spence's prior discovery of the wreck, and salvaged in August 2000.

In the Dirk Pitt series of adventure novels by Clive Cussler, NUMA is a government organization. The fictional NUMA is devoted to oceanic exploration and investigation, and is the agency employing the main characters in the series of books. Its headquarters is a 30-story building located on the east bank of the Potomac River, overlooking the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.. The agency comprises over five thousand employees and scientists that often work around the clock on expeditions. It is often referred to as a marine version of NASA, although its mission more closely mimics the actual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an American scientific agency focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere, and has research vessels that conduct many missions that are similar to the fictional NUMA.

The fictional NUMA is headed by the character Admiral James Sandecker, with Rudi Gunn as second in command, although Dirk Pitt is eventually asked to take over when Sandecker pursues the vice-presidency.

...
Wikipedia