The discovery of the shipwreck remains of a British whaling vessel highlighted a successful month-long expedition. The 29-day voyage was filled with other landmark discoveries. The Hi'ialakai landed at Ford Island Thursday morning, filled with maritime archeologists and stories from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

"First expedition in that scientists and cultural practitioners were on the same ship," said Hiilei Kawelo, one of two members of a traditional ecological team.

Literally on the same ship, separate teams hoping to share cultural, historical and biological information.

"Helped us all gain a lot from each other and also a better understanding of the monument's resources," said Kelly Gleason, NOAA archeologist for the Monument and mission leader.

Armed with historic research, the teams made two discoveries. The first came at Kure Atoll.

"The team was diving close to the reef and came across an iron ballast," said Gleason.

It was the wreck of the whaling ship Gledstanes which was lost at sea in 1837.

"Came across the anchors, what may be cannon and a tripot and the tripot is what indicates a whaling shipwreck site," said Kelly Gleason.

"These shipwrecks are like windows into that past and we can understand through looking at the artifacts that nature of the wreck, the type of the vessel and sometimes even what the crew went through to survive on these distant atolls," said Hans VanTilburg, maritime heritage coordinator for NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries Pacific Islands Region.

Days later, the team made another discovery at the French Frigate Shoals.

"After just a few minutes of diving we came across a historic anchor which is really exciting we tow-boarded a little bit further -- came back to that area and discovered what opened up to a whole shipwreck site," said Gleason.

The wreck is still unidentified. Research shows it could be one of three American Whalers.

"Some of those sailors up there had been a couple other shipwreck events," said VanTilburg.

Preserving these sites is important to scientists and cultural practitioners. Large predators including sharks and ulua provide answers to preservation and balance.

"What keeps it in balance there -- it's the presence of those big fish the balance here is a little out of wack we don't have those big fish we have two legged predators instead," said Kawelo. "We can't be a pristine ecosystem as it is up there because we have people here -- but how can we make it work?"

It's a question that will be explored even further in future shipwreck expeditions.

The Gledstanes is the fourth whaling ship and one of the oldest discovered in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.