ships sunk by Japanese forces after rhe Barde of rhe Java Sea in February 1942 , and rhe American submarine, which sank in rhe Java Sea a monrh larer after being hir in an arrack on Japanese desrroyers. According ro invesrigarors, rhe Durch ships were mosdy inracr when rhey were discovered by amareur divers in 2002. Two of rhe Durch warships, HNLMS De Ruyter and HNLMS Java, and rhe American submarine USS Perch (SS-176) have complerely vanished from rhe seafl.oor, wirh on ly a large pir in rhe seabed left ro mark rhe sire;
HMNLS De Ruyter
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a large secrion ofHNLMS Kortenaer is also missing. The dive ream senr ro shoor video was funded by rhe Karel Doorman Fund, in prepararion for rhe 75rh anniversary of rhe Barde of rhe Java Sea nexr year. Ac-
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cording ro rhe survey ream, rwo British warship wreck sires in rhe area-HMS Exeter and HMS Encounter-have been heavi ly damaged, presumably for scrap meral salvage . The case has now been turned over ro rhe Durch defense minisrry, which is in charge of prorecring rhe narion's naval wrecks. Under inrernarional agreemenrs, naval vessels remain rhe properry of rheir respecrive governments after rhey sink. Disturbing, !oaring, or salvaging rhese wrecks, which are often grave sires, is illegal. According ro maririme archaeologisr Innes McCarrney, a research fellow ar Bournemourh U niversiry in rhe UK, many wartime shipwrecks are being salvaged for scrap meral in the Asia and Paciflc regions due ro a "perfect srorm" of high meral prices and a lack oflaw enforcemenr. In Ocrober 2015 , the US Navy reporred rhar rhe wreck of USS Houston, which sank in February 1942 in rhe Sunda Strait with around 650 sailors and marines onboard, had also suffered from an "unaurhorized disrurbance of rhe grave site." ... The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum (LPBMM) in Madisonville, Louisiana, has set up a GoFundMe site to raise funds to restore the 1837 Tchefuncte River Lighthouse, near New Orleans. The lighrhouse's srabiliry is rhrearened by erosion from wave acrion and tidal surge evenrs. During Hurricane Isaac, more rhan 8 feer of warer
Tchefuncte River Lighthouse
surged inro rhe lighrhouse. Once repairs are completed, rhe museum will conducr boar rours ro rhe lighrhouse from irs dock, locared rwo miles up rhe river. LPBMM is rhe cusrodian for rhe lighrhouse and rhe lighrkeeper's corrage, under a managemenr agreemenr wirh rhe rown of Madisonville. The engineeri ng design can be viewed online ar www.lpbmm.org. Donarions can be made ar W\ww.gofundme.com/rcefuncreriver-lighth10use. (LPBMM , 133 Mabel Drive, Madlisonville, LA) j:,
SEA fHISTORY 158, SPRING 2017