Removing items from the USS Oriskany (interesting dilemma)

[IXΘYΣ]

Additionally, I would like to ad to the discussion I am contacting the appropriate authorities to include Robert Turpin, the manager with Escambia County who owns the reef and Harry White, the PAO for NASP. ... a standing policy to not take anything from the wreck. We are including this into our dive briefings effective immediately, and I intend to bring up the subject at the next meeting of the Gulf Coast Dive Counsel

Thank you. I am content...
IXΘYΣ

 

[H2Andy]

We do not endorse the removal of items from any reefs.

except that you let it happen and didn't do anything about it. it's your boat, it's
your show .... why didn't you stop it? confiscate the item? report them at once?

We will not tolerate illegal actions on our boat period.

except you did. you allowed divers to remove parts of a protected wreck.

(I have not verified that taking anything from the reef is illegal or not at this point

so basically you're saying you, the Captain of the vessel, did not know the rules
under which you could take divers to the Oriskany?

yah... that will fly real well in court ...

best of luck to you

a standing policy to not take anything from the wreck. We are including this into our dive briefings effective immediately, and I intend to bring up the subject at the next meeting of the Gulf Coast Dive Counsel

excellent, but this should have been done from day one. you are charged with
briefing the divers regarding what they can and can not do at the dive site,
since you are... what's the word ... the Captain

why don't you just drop the BS and the double talk and say, "hey guys, we didnt
know it was illegal to remove stuff from the wreck. we let those guys do it, and
we screwed up. we won't let it happen from now on."

nice, simple, and honest. and i could have respected that, instead of all the
crap you dropped on us about America and apple pie and the Old Man and the Sea

 

[erparamedic]

Capt. Tim has not only repeatedly skirted the issue of thievery from the Mighty O, but clearly still takes NO responsibility in the act. Frankly, he has alot of "stepping up" to do / responsibility to take. If Capt. Tim has run his dive op like this for 14 years... do we really think he will change? His 1st post to this thread speaks bounds... without answering any of the questions that were asked. He seems to be more interested in listing services, certifications, and in keeping people happy. I'm quite surprised that as a military man, he would allow such disrespectful thievery to happen on the Mighty O.

Capt. Tim... the right thing to do would have been to report the issue to the authorities immediately. Then, if it were my boat, I would have refused a ride back to shore if he didn't immediately return the items to the correct place (23 NM out, anyone would ablige and return the items!!). And... they would never be allowed on my boat again. It's simple, really. And if all the Scuba Boarders would have heard "that story" then you would be getting new service right and left... as you would have clearly showed that you care about the Mighty O and the reef. Seeing the article that Sleppy posted, thanking you for your help... and your "skirting the issue" replies, are not honorable. Now, in my humble opinion, you are only losing patrons... myself included.

I can say one thing with certainty... I will NOT use Capt Tim's dive op when I visit the Mighty O (or any other sites), and I will be doing some heavy research into which dive op will gain my patronage... if several are disrespecting and stealing from the Oriskany.

 

[vikingdiving]

My final response, as it seems that noting I can write will clarify any of the issues for eveyone here. No, I did not know that it was illegal to take anything from the Oriskany and still... looking over this information provided here, cannot confirm this fact, thus the reasons for my contacting Robert Turpin and Harry White personally. Obviously, anyone who knows me or my operation know that we are clearly in this business for all the right reasons and try our best to listen to eveyone's opinion (including those on this message board) and learn what is best for eveyone we provide service to. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to continue a discussion to no resolution with so many people whom I don't know or who don't know me eithor. So good luck to all of you, and I hope that if you visit Pensacola in the future you will find someone who will be there to provide for your diving enjoyment regardless of who that person may be.
My sincere thanks for all your responses... both in support or otherwise

 

[Lost_At_Sea]

When it comes to shipwrecks, removing things is alright, but removing thing from artificial reefs is just dumb. No following the law is one thing. If the law says NO, then no is no. But shipwrecks, are wrecks. So in my opinion, removing things from an artificial reef is stupid.

 

[The Chairman]

Actually,

I found your last response to satisfy me as well. There is no shame in learning something new and we hope that you will clue us in to whatever you find out from these gentle people.

 

[Stormbringer]

I agree 100% with Rich M. and the rest of you guys. I would have loved the opportunity to dive the Oriskany and check out the bridge and see those gauges and the phone on that dive. Alas, I'll never get that opprtunity thanks to some selfish SOB. I just hope there is something left should I get the opportunity to dive the Oriskany, and not just find holes and exposed wires where things were removed.

Jim

When it comes to genuine wrecks, salvage can save pieces of history that would otherwise be lost to the sea. In the case of an artificial reef we have an entirely different matter - the reef was placed to be a reef. There is no "salvage," only theft.
The Oriskany is Florida's property, given to it by the Navy, on condition that Florida use it for a public reef. There are no salvage rights on it.
The folks who took stuff off her are just thieves, nothing else.
Rick

 

[scubadobadoo]

So let me get this right, we can spearfish and take life from the reef but not a rusted old bolt ?

That rusted old bolt is WHY you can spearfish and take life in the first place. If it didn't exist, you would be diving in the open ocean and wouldn't have much of a chance of catching anything.

 

[Diver Dennis]

So tell me, what are your plans to ensure divers 20 years from now can enjoy the control panels? Are you going to keep killing off the corals and marine growth that accumulates on them?

Hmmm. Lets see. The control panel is inside the ship. All the wrecks I been diving on in Truk and other places have little if any growth on the inside of them. Most if not all of the artifacts that went down with these ships are still there and apart from some silt are all visible. These ships went down in WWII, a lot longer than 20 years ago.

I don't understand your point. Perhaps you should do a little research before asking questions.

 

[King Kong Matt]

Actually,

I found your last response to satisfy me as well. There is no shame in learning something new and we hope that you will clue us in to whatever you find out from these gentle people.

Pete,

While I certainly agree that there is no shame in learning something new each and every day*, I feel like as a "dive professional" who is leading trips to a particular dive site, the operator should be familiar with any regulations pertinent to that site. I don't think that is too much to ask at all and quite frankly, if an operator (any operator) doesn't know the applicable regulations, it doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the operator. What else has gone unchecked?








*What I don't know about diving would just about fill Fenway Park...a number of times over.