"For dedication and service beyond expectations and excellence to the Great State of North Carolina, on behalf of the citizens of this State, I bestow upon Philip Masters the Old North State Award."
Governor Mike Easley, February 21, 2007

Discovery of the shipwreck of the probable Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's flagship, has generated tremendous excitement and media coverage for the State of North Carolina nationally and internationally. The shipwreck was found in November 1996, by the research firm Intersal Inc., through information provided to Operations Director Mike Daniel by Intersal, Inc. President Philip Masters.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is responsible for management, protection, and investigation of this shipwreck site. Archaeologists, scientists, historians, and school children all have studied this, the oldest shipwreck ever found in North Carolina waters. It is the only purported pirate shipwreck site to be archaeologically researched, and findings have been reported by CNN, the London Times, the New York Times, and in documentaries by the BBC, UNC Television, History Channel, National Geographic, and many other media outlets. Additionally, school children in North Carolina and the nation asked questions via computer links of the archaeologists as they worked on Atlantic seafloor at the site. The N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the N.C. Museum of History also offer teaching tools about the project to educators statewide.

Nearly a million people have viewed the in-house display of shipwreck artifacts at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, repository for the shipwreck. A traveling exhibit developed by the museum has toured other state museums, the State Fair, and as far away as Paris, France. Public curiosity about the shipwreck will continue to lead tourists and academicians to coastal North Carolina to examine these artifacts and learn more.

Many of these benefits result directly from the dedication to history and exploration of Philip Masters, who since 1997 has made Beaufort his home and headquarters of Intersal. He is a worthy candidate for the Old North State Award. The Princeton educated, New York native was an executive in sales and merchandising in New York and Florida before founding Intersal, Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida. Searching for shipwrecks was a logical outgrowth from his interest in scuba diving, underwater photography, and archaeological diving. He specializes in shipwreck research and exploration, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and also served as project historian and diver on the wreck of the HMS Feversham, a Royal Navy frigate, in Nova Scotia in 1985 and 1986. Mr. Masters continues to be an advocate for Queen Anne's Revenge, and continues to search for the Adventure, a smaller vessel lost the same day as was Queen Anne's Revenge. Yet a successful end to his year long search for the wreck of El Salvador, a Spanish merchant ship, remains his ultimate dream.

Phil Masters has adapted quite well to North Carolina and has become a major asset to the state through his promotion of the state's maritime history and resources. He is an active partner with the Department of Cultural Resources in the preservation and interpretation of this site. He adds immeasurably to the material and cultural wealth of North Carolina and is a worthy recipient of the Old North State Award.