Selling Empress Artifacts

[jiveturkey]

Wasn't there a stink kicked up about this a few years ago? http://www.ggentile.com/Empress of Ireland Artifacts.html

I can't remember what the outcome was. Is this legal?

 

[nalfein]

I believe he recovered those items before the wreck was declared a protected site... I read something about it in "Dark Descent". I'm pretty sure Gentile hasn't been back to the wreck since the early nineties due to the fact that the wreck is now a protected site, and he isn't able to recover artifacts. I'm not sure if that sort of protection would be retroactive on anyone purchasing an item and bringing it back to Canada.

 

[Tavi]

You could buy them all and donate them to the Empress Museum!!

From what I've read nalfein is correct.

 

[H2Andy]

basically, Canadian law doesn't apply in the US, so... as long as it's not illegal
in the US (and i'm pretty certain it's not), then you're ok here

like tavi, i think nalfein raises an interesting point: what if you go back to Canada
with the artifact? since it's protected, conceivably it could be confiscated.
you might even face charges, depending on what the law says.

 

[electric_diver]

If you read his disclosure, it says he turned the artifacts into the Reciever of Wrecks and they were returned to him. That is the required legal procedure as it was explained to me. Gary should have paperwork to back up that claim. If you were to purchase those items and import them into Canada you would want a copy of that paperwork, just to cover yourself.

 

[nalfein]

I'm pretty sure that Receiver of Wrecks doesn't apply to protected sites... just your average, run of the mill wreck. Down here in Nova Scotia I guess the deal is: you hand your artifact over, and they hold it for 1 year. If the owner of the wreck, probably an insurance company wants it, they have to pay you a salvage fee for the item. We have wrecks here like the SS Atlantic that are protected sites and it is forbidden to remove anything from them at any time, even if you intend to turn it over to the museum.

He recovered his items before the Empress was protected, so he followed the rules at the time, but you couldn't do that now..... but like I said I'm not sure if that protected status would void a former legal procedure, it might depend if the holder of the item were the original salvor, or a new owner.

Salvage of small items from the older flattened out wrecks down here is not generally frowned upon, depending on the boat you're diving from. It's much different than the beautiful, preserved wrecks you have in Ontario... we've pretty much got debris fields here. But that's a debate on it's own.

chris

 

[chloro]

Wasn't there a stink kicked up about this a few years ago? http://www.ggentile.com/Empress of Ireland Artifacts.html

I can't remember what the outcome was. Is this legal?

yes it is legal and outrageous.

 

[Britanicdiver]

I have artifacts from the Empress, Britannic and Luthe in my living room and I'm not given them back and at the time we salvaged these items it was ok to take things because no one ever gave a damn but over the years with more interest in sport diving and preserving wrecks unmanageable laws came into play to protect a few. I believe every time a basic diver dives on a wreck there is more damaged caused by the lack of buoyancy control, holding onto delicate wooden rails and bubble accumulation traped in crevices etc. I think that what I have will at least be around for many years because we protect what we take.

Britanidiver