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©@iru W@M [p)ll®@@® ~[f)O@OiruW Who Works on Shipwrecks? Shipwrecks attract lots of attention and all kinds of people. The people who deal with shipwrecks are usually maritime archaeologists, treasure hunters, or professionals in marine salvage (salvors). Who gets to take stuff from a wreck depends on what ship it is, why and where it sank, and who owns the remains. It can get confusing, and many laws have been passed that try to clear up this confusion. Here's a look at these three occupations and some of the differences between them.
Marine salvors earn money by rescuing private property from the perils of the sea . Marine Salvors assist ships that are in danger of wrecking or have recently sunk. Working for ship owners and insurance companies, salvors remove valuable cargoes and refloat damaged ships. Marine. salvors also help to protect the sea and surrounding environment by removing fuel and dangerous chemicals from a stricken ship when it has had an accident. (left) Donjon M arine, a marine salvage company, was called in to help clear marine debris after Hurricane Ike devastated p arts ofcoastal Texas last September. e, a heavy-duty crane p ulls a sunken vessel out of the water.
Maritime archaeologists study shipwrecks seeking to learn new things about the past and then share what they 've learned with everyone. Sometimes they remove artifacts from shipwrecks, but they only do so using scientific methods. Maritime archaeologists believe in protecti11g historic shipwrecks and do not sell artifacts. They work to preserve artifacts as parts of intact shipwreck sites or in collections Treasure hunters look for shipwrecks, hoping to find objects housed at museums and laboratories after they that they can remove and set I. have been scientific II Their goal is to make money by excavated and selling off pieces of the past-in conserved . this case, shipwrecks and their cargo. Treasure hunters believe (right) NOAA Marititflt! that any historic shipwreck they Archaeologist Tane Casserley find belongs to them. Treasure carefully document. hunters sell artifacts to private anchor from a 186-year-old collectors. They do not have to shipwreck. share them with the public. COURTESY DONJON MARINE