Wreck Stripping

[kodiak]

I beleive that Salvage laws would dictate wheather something is leagal for the taking, and just because its on the bottom and from a wreck does not mean its up for grabs, and you wouldnt get yourself in a world of trouble if caught taking it.
There is some good info on the net about salvage rights.

I myself think that most stuff should be left alone.

 

[Narc'd1]

Originally posted by MSilvia
It must be nice to have well preserved remains. I've never seen anything like that.

I'm with you MSilvia, around here the silt inside the wrecks can be a few feet deep. You can't even see the artifacts. To find them you have to sift through all that muck. Who can look at an artifact inside a collapsing wreck, buried under all that silt? Now when a diver spends his whole dive digging through that silt and just by feel, comes out with a really nice artifact, everyone they show it to get's to enjoy it. Especially when it ends up in a dive shop display, or in a local museum.

Now for stuff like portholes or other external artifacts, they shouldn't be taken. Especially if you have to destroy the wreck by taking it.

 

[DivingGal]

You don't know how happy it make me feel, when I hear more and more folks say "leave it there for others to enjoy".

Sure I sort of understand the desire to pick something up and take it home, to be able to say "Look what I have". Sort of - but not totally. Most folks can't preserve what they find (oh I do like the cannon ball story) so others can enjoy the artefact. What many don't appreciate is that "discovery" from the next diver, and the one after that one, and the next one . . . is something that is so cherished by that person, that it is a precious memory.

You've given me hope that there will be "discoveries" for future generations of divers to enjoy. Thanks

DivingGal

 

[budgy]

I was diving the wrecks of a couple of old fishing boats today. Sun was shining its been a beautiful day, I am not the kind of person who can be bothered ripping out portholes, just as well as there was none left. The props have gone, so have the wheel house widows. In fact though they have been recently discovered they have been salvaged of just about anything of value.
Its a bit like an old car abandoned beside the road, people come along and take bits off. I was thinking the capstan winch was in good condition last Thurday, and the engine looked worthwhile salvaging. Didn't see the winch today and there is a big hole in the bow which I didn't notice last time, I guess I was just to late.
I think it's human nature, once a wreck is known by divers it will be stripped. Diving equipment was principally developed for salvage so articles of value or interest to man could be raised to the surface when ever it is feasibly possible. If you expect untouched wrecks you have to do the search yourself. If you find one, chances are you will be the one stripping it of any articles of value.

 

[chrispete]

I know a diver in our area who dives on Civil War era shipwrecks located in our area. The river in which these wrecks are located in has 1-2 foot viz on a good day. He has been doing salvage work on these wrecks for years, amassing a very large collection of artifacts and I've spent some time with him while he explained the different items which he had on display. I walked in one day and he even had the entire keel of a Civil War era boat which he and a team had raised and were in the process of drying out for display.

The people who have been fortunate enough to see his collection (it is open for anyone to come in and see, yet very few people know about it, I send anyone I can his way) get to see things that they would never, ever have been able to see - even if they were a diver, due to the conditions at the wreck sites.

Had these artifacts remained at their original site, they probably would have been lost to history. I think that some common sense has to be applied - if there is a near zero chance of people having access to artifacts and they are in danger of being lost forever - I think that salvage for display is fine, if the wreck is a diver accessible site and is in no immediate danger, then taking artifacts simply for the sake of taking artifacts should be strongly discouraged.