Artifact Question

[DavidCarleton]

Thanks to everyone for your responses to my question.

As I new diver I must admit that I am somewhat torn between the thrill of recovering a cup, dish, porthole, etc,. from a non historically significan sight and the obvious loss to all of us in the diving community in a situation such as the one described by aadiver.

I am curious about the Andrea Doria. Certainly this wreck is of historical significance and yet artifacts have been, and I assume continue to be, retreived from it by divers that have the advanced skills necessary to reach her.

 

[Ontario Diver]

David; that one is easy.

If you visit my LDS, you'll see a lot of artefacts. The owner has been diving since the late 50's. Collecting artefacts was normal back then. He starts off every wreck course by stating that things are different now and they had no clue what they were doing. He stopped collecting in the 70's. (still has some neat stuff tho')

Much like many things in life, as the sport matures we get better at it being safer and we are more aware of our impact on the environment and heritage.

(My Gawd! I sound like my Dad! )

 

[Duca]

No disrespect meant, Onario, but it sounds to me like your LDS owner is a hypocrite. It was fine for him, but now he is more enlightened and we shouldn't be allowed to do it? Seems like he would go ahead and donate those items he found to some historical society if he really felt that it was so wrong for him to have taken them for his personal enjoyment.

Again, someone used that argument about the fathers of diving and UW Hunting (which was the very foundation of the sport, particularly in the US). Now it isn't Dive Chic to kill the fishies, but it was "Okay"" back then, because they didn't know any better.

Survival of the fittest.

First come, first serve.

Losers weepers, finders keepers.

I like the laws of nature.

 

[TAM Dive]

hey DivingGal:
I'm still holding on to that level one, I've done a couple of surveys, and submitted a report, just can't seem to find the time to do the conference thing to finish the qualification for the level 2. it's been a great experience, but time seems to be the limiting factor, I've already cut out sleep in my daily routine.................
Are you doing your level 2 with Peter Englebert?? I found out about them surveying the Wexford this past summer on the last week he was out there.......hmmm missed another good one.
Willis Stevens seems to be doing a lot of work out your way in the Ottawa river......
we've put together a small news group on Yahoo, sort of a hub for information on archeaology in the Peterborough area if'n you're interested??

john

 

[ages]

Well, there is nothing more intense that a good case of "china fever". Keeping my hands off the items on our magnificent shipwrecks is tough.....but....by diving the old sunken mine sites and steamship docks, I have managed to accrue much of the plates, etc that you find on those wrecks. And, so far, these sunken sites are free for the taking. The only sites where you cannot take artifacts are old native villages and shipwrecks.

ages

 

[large_diver]

Regarding "artifacts"....

I was on a dive charter 2 weeks ago and was talking about the U-853 wreck off of RI (this particular charter was headed elsewhere). The captain was discussing the various artifacts that he and friends of his have recovered from the U-853 -- including one friend who has a human skull he pulled from inside the sub. I've heard at least one other story of an idiot who brought up a human leg bone from the wreck -- after passing it around, he casually tossed it back over the side into the water.

People like this are an embarassment to the entire diving community.

 

[DivingGal]

Originally posted by TAM Dive
I'm still holding on to that level one, I've done a couple of surveys, and submitted a report, just can't seem to find the time to do the conference thing to finish the qualification for the level 2.

you should have come up for the SOS Forum 2001 in August in Ottawa ... it qualified as a conference.

Are you doing your level 2 with Peter Englebert??

who else? Nov 16/17 in Ottawa for the lectures. Then I have to get on, or start a project. There are a couple in Toronto that I might be able to join. Though some of us thought of doing something with the "Lost Villages" up near Cornwall on the St L

we've put together a small news group on Yahoo, sort of a hub for information on archeaology in the Peterborough area if'n you're interested??

yes please.
Send e-mail and we'll "talk"

 

[DivingGal]

Originally posted by large_diver
Regarding "artifacts"....

I was on a dive charter 2 weeks ago and was talking about the U-853...discussing the various artifacts...I've heard at least one other story of an idiot who brought up a human leg bone from the wreck -- after passing it around, he casually tossed it back over the side into the water.
People like this are an embarassment to the entire diving community.

Embarassment seems like to mild of a word. People like that I don't want to meet -- rather they won't want to meet me, I'm liable to do something nasty to them.

 

[miked]

Large diver ,
"Idiot" is too polite a word for that individual (the one who tossed the leg bone...). Most of the words that come to my mind would get "blipped out", but how about: crude, crass, stupid, disrespectful.
Does the phrase "grave robber "come to mind??
While "it takes all kinds".... why that kind??
That said, thanks for the info. While I wish fools like that didn't dive, (heck I wish they didn't exist), it is something the rest of us should know about, if only to heap scorn upon the offenders.
Thanks,
MikeD

 

[large_diver]

Yeah, that story still gets me worked up just thinking about it.

Stories like this make you start to understand why certain "authorities" want to regulate wreck diving and artifact collecting. In fact for several years, the German government has unsuccesfully lobbied the US gov't. to have the U-853 and other German "war grave" sites in US waters declared 100% off limits to divers. I don't bame them.