 In addition to his work in the water, a key aspect of Delgado's early work was documenting the remains and environmental conditions surrounding shipwrecks exposed as a result of beach erosion.He was one of the first archaeologists in the United States to conduct such studies, beginning with the wrecks of the schooner Neptune, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the steamer Pomo at Point Reyes National Seashore, and in 1985, he led a detailed survey of beached shipwreck remains at Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores in North Carolina.His Master's Thesis was based on his work with the beached wreck of the Gold Rush steamer Tennessee, which lies within the boundaries of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Tennessee Cove.