Artifact Arrest

[bladephotog]

"Now take the most worthless piece of junk from that barge..."

If this "junk" is of interest to you than it might also be of interest to archeologists and/or other divers.

I don't know anything about archeology or treasure hunting. But I do know from my layman's perspective it seems there is a lot of selfishness involved from individuals on both sides. And that is a shame.

Personally I'd rather look at artifacts while diving the wreck, not in a museum or in someone's basement.

 

[diversmarts]

"Now take the most worthless piece of junk from that barge..."

If this "junk" is of interest to you than it might also be of interest to archeologists and/or other divers.

I don't know anything about archeology or treasure hunting. But I do know from my layman's perspective it seems there is a lot of selfishness involved from individuals on both sides. And that is a shame.

Personally I'd rather look at artifacts while diving the wreck, not in a museum or in someone's basement.

I've been involved in artifact and salvaging all over the world, and believe you me, it looks best in your living room!

Or in your pocketbook, after the sale.

 

[phoneman]

I've lived in NE Florida for about 6 months now, but what is the diver scoope concerning the missing ship from the hurricane of 1715? If any? Supposed to be near Jacksonville somewhere...

If your looking for the 1715 fleet it would be south in the Vero Beach area. I have never been there but have more info on where to go if you want it. I have a friend who said you can shore dive some of it on good days?

I have read several accounts of lost ships in the Jax,St. Augustine area that date from the 1700's but know of none that have been found. Many of these have a great deal of information about the ships that date from the period when they were lost. However much of what was used as referance points to locate them have long since been gone.

There was one ship located off of St. Augustine by a dredge replenshing the beach. I don't think there is much left of it. The dredge chopped it up and spit it on the beach. They never knew they hit it until beach hunters with metal dectors started finding 70lb bars of silver.:crossbone

 

[fire_diver]

If your looking for the 1715 fleet it would be south in the Vero Beach area. I have never been there but have more info on where to go if you want it. I have a friend who said you can shore dive some of it on good days?

Don't try it! The Mel Fisher (sp?) group has legal rights to almost that entire area. And the life guards watch for and report anyone diving or detecting in the water. BIG fines and confiscation if you get caught. Only way to hunt this area is to contact the group, lease a specific site (for $1000 a season I think). Then you still have to split the finds with the group.


And IIRC, the plate fleet wrecks are on the east side, and vero is on the gulf?

 

[fire_diver]

"Now take the most worthless piece of junk from that barge..."

If this "junk" is of interest to you than it might also be of interest to archeologists and/or other divers.

I don't know anything about archeology or treasure hunting. But I do know from my layman's perspective it seems there is a lot of selfishness involved from individuals on both sides. And that is a shame.

Personally I'd rather look at artifacts while diving the wreck, not in a museum or in someone's basement.

Doesnt matter if an archie is "interested" in an item. What we are discussing is the "historical significance" of that "junk", or the wreck it came off.

As for the selfishness, the way I see it is; I spent the time and money to dive a wreck or even conduct salvage ops, I deserve to keep the items I take. Now if they are important to the history of my state, country or the world, then it should be hands off, or recover WITH the archies so that I can stand in the museum and point and tell my family "I found this wreck, and I recovered that item."

FD

 

[diverjed]

If your looking for the 1715 fleet it would be south in the Vero Beach area. I have never been there but have more info on where to go if you want it. I have a friend who said you can shore dive some of it on good days?

I have read several accounts of lost ships in the Jax,St. Augustine area that date from the 1700's but know of none that have been found. Many of these have a great deal of information about the ships that date from the period when they were lost. However much of what was used as referance points to locate them have long since been gone.

Those accounts were probably what I had heard of.

 

[Spratman]

That's good in theory. We heard a lecture (Nov, I think) of a very well known wreck diver and historian, Gary Gentile, who video-taped the U.S.S. Monitor for NOAA. The observer they assigned did nothing except rail on him constantly about disturbing anything, since they have the governmental rights over everything.

Excerpt from Gary's website www.ggentile.com, "In 1989, after a five-year battle with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Gary won a suit which forced the hostile government agency to issue him a permit to dive the USS Monitor, a protected National Marine Sanctuary. Media attention that was focused on Gary's triumphant victory resulted in nationwide coverage of his 1990 photographic expedition to the Civil War ironclad. Gary continues to fight for the right of access to all shipwreck sites.

There is a big movement afoot by the US gov't and the UN to make ANY man-made structures on the bottom of the water their's, whether they EVER to anything with it or not. This is BS and should be not allowed.

There is a symbionic relationship that could help both the diving community and the academic community, but the latter will never agree to it.

My $.02

 

[diverjed]

That's good in theory. We heard a lecture (Nov, I think) of a very well known wreck diver and historian, Gary Gentile, who video-taped the U.S.S. Monitor for NOAA. The observer they assigned did nothing except rail on him constantly about disturbing anything, since they have the governmental rights over everything.

Excerpt from Gary's website www.ggentile.com, "In 1989, after a five-year battle with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Gary won a suit which forced the hostile government agency to issue him a permit to dive the USS Monitor, a protected National Marine Sanctuary. Media attention that was focused on Gary's triumphant victory resulted in nationwide coverage of his 1990 photographic expedition to the Civil War ironclad. Gary continues to fight for the right of access to all shipwreck sites.

There is a big movement afoot by the US gov't and the UN to make ANY man-made structures on the bottom of the water their's, whether they EVER to anything with it or not. This is BS and should be not allowed.

There is a symbionic relationship that could help both the diving community and the academic community, but the latter will never agree to it.

My $.02

Maritime Law is deep-rooted. Especially in Europe. That's a sure sign we are headed in the same direction.

Socialism!

 

[Spratman]

Fight The Power!!

Sorry, must have been a flashback....

 

[diverjed]

Fight The Power!!

Sorry, must have been a flashback....

What they don't know won't hurt them.