Essay On Historic Shipwrecks

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Abstract : - The laws relating to historic shipwrecks has historically been shaped by efforts of archaeologists to preserve the rich cultural and historical value of these wrecks against the innate need to appeal to the economic sensibilities of salvors who are required to find , salvage and preserve these wrecks. This paper hopes to bring out these contrasting forces into light when dealing with the protection of historic shipwrecks. A shipwreck is defined as the “destruction of a ship at sea by sinking or breaking up, for example in a storm or after striking a rock” . Historic shipwreck means a shipwreck that is listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and are often but not always defined as being more than 50 years of age . While salvors perform operations on shipwrecks for profit oriented motives , the shipwrecks are much more than just sunken monetary …show more content…

The dictionary of disasters at sea lists for instance 12,542 sailing ships and war vessels lost at sea between 1824 and 1962 alone. These underwater cultural properties are being threatened extensively by private salvage companies and plundering looters.Studies have already shown that as of 1974, all known shipwrecks off the coasts of Turkey have been exploited by underwater pirates.Additionally, Israeli archaeologists estimate that at least 60 per cent of cultural objects that once lay in wrecks and sites have now disappeared without any trace. So what are the laws which govern the protection of these historic shipwrecks from commercial exploitation , how have they evolved and what are the inherent problems plaguing these laws? We will be trying to answer these questions in the most lucid way possible in this section. Laws for protection of shipwrecks within the sovereign waters of a country and their

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