Executive Summary and Preliminary Report of a 2006 study on the effects of existing iron oxides from various iron containing structures collected from the “Puzzle Pile” wreckage site and a correlated water quality analysis located in the Lower Chesapeake Bay, at Piney Point, MD. The goal was to ascertain the presence of iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) and define several aqueous environmental parameters. Sampling of oxide concretions and site water from the wreckage was conducted by a team of scientific divers with assistance from the Institute of Maritime History and a permit from the Maryland Historical Trust. Placement of steel coupons at this site for future temporal studies was accomplished. Samples were analyzed by Scientists from the Department of Bacteriology at the American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Virginia.