JRS Explorations is surveying the sunken wreck of a Revolutionary War British ship off the shore of Gloucester Point. JRS Explorations discovered the 11th ship found so far from the Battle of Yorktown in the York River during an expedition last year.

JRS Exploration’s vice president Dr. John Broadwater said that the survey site is the toughest he has encountered in his storied career. Broadwater was the head scientist for the excavation of the USS Monitor. He traveled to the Titanic for James Cameron’s 2003 film “Ghosts of the Abyss,” and he was a part of Jeff Bezos’ recovery team that found parts of the Apollo 11 spaceship.

Broadwater also has a history with the underwater archaeology in the York River. He was a part of the discovery of the other 10 ships in the York, including the 1981 discovery of the HMS Charon.

Broadwater said that he had a surreal moment during the recent survey when he realized that it had been 45 years since he began his work in the York River.

The...