Who Owns Lost Ships?

Nova Online ^ | unknown | Peter Tyson

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Who Owns Lost Ships?
by Peter Tyson

In one sense, the question is moot. The sea owns lost ships, of course. Tens of thousands of shipwrecks litter the beds of oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water. Some of them have rested there for thousands of years and will likely remain there forever. But when human beings find and covet a wreck -- for its historical value, its diving possibilities, its gold -- then the question suddenly becomes rabidly contentious.

[click the link for the whole article]

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Mel Fisher, a Florida treasure hunter who discovered and salvaged the 17th-century Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha, found this to be the case. Wrecked off the Florida Keys in 1622, the Atocha bore gold, armaments, and other artifacts valued in the millions of dollars. U.S. federal courts ruled that Spain had long ago renounced any claim to title in the centuries since the ship went down in a hurricane, and neither the State of Florida nor the U.S. government could claim ownership: The wreck lay outside Florida state waters, and no law allowed the U.S. to claim ownership of artifacts resting in international waters.

Both Florida and the US tried to cheat Fisher out of everything he'd found - the courts sided with him. There is an excellent museum in Key West devoted to this find - I just went there last week.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

.

[AzSteven]

Me. I own them. They are mine. All of them.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

You wish.

All our .30-06 ammo belong in your hide.

[pbear8]

ALL YOUR SHIPWRECKS ARE BELONG TO US!!!!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

In short, you'd have to pry it from my greedy, grasping fingers.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

GMTA - look up!

[isthisnickcool]

There is an excellent museum in Key West devoted to this find - I just went there last week.

It is a cool place. I went there years ago. Met Fisher too.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

The Empress Palpatine pointed out several pieces of 5 figure jewelry she wishes to call her own, and stuck out her royal bottom lip over it.

So now I gotta figure out how to do that.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

There is a nice little Cuban restaurant next door now, as well. Lobster tails or a 20 oz Porterhouse for $14.95.

[RightWhale]

"law of finds"

Salvage rights. A lot of this is like the Hunter's Code, something short of actual law, just a working agreement among those who actually participate in the activity. Lately many countries have been asserting sovereignty over various artifacts. The ossuary box in Tel Aviv is a recent example. Egypt is cracking down on amateur archaeologists - that day is about over.

Point is, if a State can assert rights these days, that is probably going to be the end of the story. Not always, but probably.

[isthisnickcool]

I was down that way several years ago. Stopped in Key West. Walked into a bar and had a beer. And met the nicest guy at the bar. We chatted for some time and I was thinking "how friendly" everyone was. Took me a little while to figure out that there were no women in the place. Duh!

Dolly Parton could have flashed that crown and they would not have noticed. Icky....

Speaking of Dolly. And since I need to wash my mouth out from that experience still. Here we go:

[Chancellor Palpatine]

ROFLMAO - Gotta be careful about those conversations you strike up at the bar.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

They'll be happy to contract with a salvor - no guaranteed pay, of course, but they'll be pleased to take a huge hunk.

[null and void]

Just FYI, the transvestites are the ones witout peach fuzz on their faces...

[blam]

"I was down that way several years ago. Stopped in Key West. Walked into a bar and had a beer. And met the nicest guy at the bar. We chatted for some time and I was thinking "how friendly" everyone was. Took me a little while to figure out that there were no women in the place. Duh!"

That wasn't to cool Nick!!

[wardaddy]

I think whoever salvages a disabled and abandoned vessel has at least first dibs for costs incurred towing. For sunk vessels, it seems to matter how much money is at stake whether the governments or insurance companies will get involved.

[RightWhale]

The Law of the Sea is of interest inasmuch as it shows how the Law of Outer Space, Space Law, will develop. There is the 200-mile limit, the continental shelf, and the deep sea, the legal situation covered by various issues of sovereignty and international treaty. For outer space, a region of the law that is rapidly becoming more interesting, there is the 1967 UN Treaty on Outer Space and a few other treaties, and then the rest is extensions of the Law of the Sea.

Major developments are on the way depending on how rapidly ownership of space resources is asserted. The moon will be first, and is already being claimed in part. For example, Tranquillity Base, the site of the first Apollo landing is already designated a National Park or Historical Place, something like that, under jurisdiction of a Federal agency, Park Service or Forest Service, I forget which. In any case, there won't be any salvage operations by private adventurers of the equipment that Armstrong and Aldrin left on the moon.