British wreck divers fined for retrieving artifacts
- Thread starter Rhone Man
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Wow! What a collection. Would love to see the confiscated booty turned into a museum.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Greedy people who don't follow the rules should be fined.
I would ask a for a little more information. If these wrecks were outside of the 12 mile limit but still inside the economic zone, then I would tell the government to shove it. These artifacts were being destroyed on the bottom and did no one any good by sitting there decaying. How many Cannons, bells, whistles, helms, and deafened does a museum or institution need? There is nothing wrong with private collections. Now if they were stripping wrecks within the limit then I could see an issue.
No one noticed all those cannons coming off a boat?
No one noticed all those cannons coming off a boat?
I agree, I'd like more information. I'm not from the UK, but from an American point of view, they were being lost to the ocean. If the "rightful owners" wanted the items they ought to have contracted for their recovery. Then have repaid the insurance company for the claim from the loss vessel (I would think that EIC carried some form of insurance, most merchant vessels have throughout history). If they didn't know the location then it seems to be free game if they invested the time and effort to recover the items. A finders fee for recovering a cannon is a bit of an insult, IMO. The canon is a trophy for a divers hard work.
But, I'm not from the UK.
But, I'm not from the UK.
Is there a general rule of thumb as when, where and what can be salvage and what cannot?
If these guys "reported" their salvage, then could they have kept it?
I personally am more into pictures than artifacts, but I would like to learn more from the experts.
If these guys "reported" their salvage, then could they have kept it?
I personally am more into pictures than artifacts, but I would like to learn more from the experts.
Hickdive
Contributor
If you recover wreck items at all in the UK you need to report them to the Receiver of Wreck within 28 days.
The Receiver will then either take possession of the item or let you hold onto it whilst ownership is resolved.
The Receiver will then attempt to identify the owner and they have a year to do so. If the owner can be traced then the owner can claim back their goods subject to paying you a salvage award or they can let you keep the item in lieu of a salvage award.
If the Receiver can't identify the owner within a year then they can claim the goods for the state subject to paying you a salvage award or they can let you keep the item in lieu of a salvage award.
If the find was from outside UK territorial waters then it should still be reported but the state would have no claim on the item if after a year they had not identified the owner.
The important bit is to report the finds. Had these divers done so then they would have been in the clear. They might not have been able to keep the archaeologically important finds but they would been quids in on the salvage award.
Recovering items from wrecks protected under archaeological or military legislation is forbidden at all times.
The Receiver will then either take possession of the item or let you hold onto it whilst ownership is resolved.
The Receiver will then attempt to identify the owner and they have a year to do so. If the owner can be traced then the owner can claim back their goods subject to paying you a salvage award or they can let you keep the item in lieu of a salvage award.
If the Receiver can't identify the owner within a year then they can claim the goods for the state subject to paying you a salvage award or they can let you keep the item in lieu of a salvage award.
If the find was from outside UK territorial waters then it should still be reported but the state would have no claim on the item if after a year they had not identified the owner.
The important bit is to report the finds. Had these divers done so then they would have been in the clear. They might not have been able to keep the archaeologically important finds but they would been quids in on the salvage award.
Recovering items from wrecks protected under archaeological or military legislation is forbidden at all times.
t4e
Contributor
one question comes to mind, if those are of such historic value why the heck they didn't send divers down there to retrieve them all this time?
its almost like they used this guys to get those artifacts withouth lifting a finger or paying a dime
also the article states that none if the wrecks were protected
its almost like they used this guys to get those artifacts withouth lifting a finger or paying a dime
also the article states that none if the wrecks were protected
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