Any thoughts on wreck looting?

[lermontov]

Warships remain the property of the nation's government in perpetuity regardless if anyone died.
If you see someone else shoplifting do you start stealing too?

I guess its the same for stuff found at a refuse site - its been abandoned but still owned by municipal authorities

 

[Dogbowl]

a bag of money in the street hasn't been abandoned and has intrinsic value-

I agree that money has intrinsic value but I cannot agree that involuntarily abandoning a sinking ship or being killed as part of an attack is much different from dropping a bag of money. They are all involuntary actions. The people didn’t want it to happen that way.

 

[rjack321]

And my first thoughts were about those divers, hailed as heros or adventurers or “diving legends” in the books I read of those wrecks. I wonder if the times have changed since then.

Sadly they have not. They'd be going ballistic if Japanese divers were looting US subs in the Sea of Japan. Yet somehow pilfering German war graves is somehow ok/tolerated/condoned

U-Boat wreck off RI coast a dark reminder of WWII - The Boston Globe

 

[lermontov]

I don’t need more crap than I already have..

agreed but were not talking about crap - so wheres the cut off point ? $100? $500? historic value? ships bell? who decides whats valuable? at what point do you decide your going to take it - even very old archaeology findings make arbitrary decisions as to what is to be removed

My local wreck has literally hundreds and hunderds of artefacts - it has no value other than a momento of the dive but over the last 3 years of diving on it theres more stuff been lost to degrading and collapse than divers taking stuff

 

[tomfcrist]

Sadly they have not. They'd be going ballistic if Japanese divers were looting US subs in the Sea of Japan. Yet somehow pilfering German war graves is somehow ok/tolerated/condoned

U-Boat wreck off RI coast a dark reminder of WWII - The Boston Globe

Those artifact were likely recovered decades ago.

 

[Wookie]

I read about stuff being lifted from WWI and WWII submarines and other wrecks in European waters without permission. I was just wondering what other people think about it? Should the things stay on the sunken ships and submarines?

Nah, it’s all junk littering the ocean. I do draw the line at desecrating the final resting place of some sailor, but aside from that, it’s just litter.

 

[rjack321]

Those artifact were likely recovered decades ago.

Decades ago?
When NOAA opened up the management plan to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (2010?) there was significant pushback from divers - in part because all those wrecks are just "rusting away" and some people felt entitled to take them.

 

[tomfcrist]

Decades ago?
When NOAA opened up the management plan to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (2010?) there was significant pushback from divers - in part because all those wrecks are just "rusting away" and some people felt entitled to take them.

In this case, at least 14 years ago. MSCA was passed in 2004...which essentially forbid the salvage of sunken military vessels of any origin(at least in US waters).

Funny that you mention NOAA, who not only salvaged a military vessel within its own marine sanctuary, but in doing so removed bodies from their resting place...and from their shipmates company. “Do as I say, not as I do”.

 

[tomfcrist]

Now unless otherwise prohibited...non military vessels are salvageable...and this becomes ditchable weight.

 

[northernone]

I draw the line at grave robbing and destroying significant archeological finds.

Otherwise, unless the law states otherwise, it's trash. Reuse and recycle.

Maybe leave pretty things there for the next underwater tourist to look at as well.

...Still keeping my eyes open for trash gold.

Cameron