Posted by Scott Napierkowski on March 13, 19100 at 11:14:40:
In Reply to: Re: Bill13 and wreck preservation posted by Garry Kozak on March 12, 19100 at 08:58:14:
Garry..
No one is questioning your right to freedom of speech - that's not what I intended to convey in my last post. However, in today's wreck diving community there exists a herd of sacred cows that are rarely held up to scrutiny or ever questioned. Nobody dares to explode the pretentions of such esteemed Wreck Experts as Gary Gentile, Dan Berg, or yourself for that matter.
I on the other hand, live for that.
"Treasure hunt?" "Commercial salvage project?" That's two sides to the same coin in this instance, don't you think? I mean when you're dealing with a 90-year old wooden package freighter with otherwise no archaeological value as you implied, does it really matter what we call it? You say salvage job, I say treasure hunt. It makes no difference, especially if the end doesn't justify the means. Were you disappointed to find that she'd turned turtle? Did you break even at least?
The reprocussions of the Dean Richmond affair are still with us. As much as you'll deny it, you've become a hero (or at least a shining example) to those area who fly the "f**k you, I'll do what I want" flag. Think about it: The Dean was possibly the most sought-after wreck in Lake Erie in the '60s and '70s. It made people crazy. Dick Voigt of Dunkirk was sure he found it and ended up dynamiting the Passaic! After you finally found and salvaged the Dean with little or no bureaucratic intervention, others soon got the idea that anything out there was theirs for the taking. When confronted about items pillaged from the Charles Foster, one well-known Erie wreck diver laughed at me and said: "What are they gonna do? Arrest me? The PHMC doesn't know about half of these wrecks and could care even less. I didn't see them trying to stop Kozak from cleaning out the Richmond so I doubt they're gonna hassle me for bringing a few things up. Besides, if I don't do it, someone else will." This individual has also removed items from the Indiana, Atlantic, and Acme that I know of.
I don't consider myself an "expert" wreck diver, reknown historian or Nobel Prize winner - I just enjoy throwing on a set of tanks and a drysuit and visiting some fine old ships, plain and simple. I'd like to think that what I see today will be more or less available for others to see and appreciate in the future. The key is indeed education, at least this much we agree upon.
So a belated "congratulations" on your hard-earned discovery of the Richmond, Thanks for finding the St. James and whatever else you rambled across, and thanks for your contributions to sidescan technology and wreck hunting/research. Now how about using your clout to help create awareness against any "commercial salvage projects" of this type in the future?
- Good to hear that the illustrious Mr. Cussler is preservation and conservation-minded. Maybe he could apply those same values to his best-selling novels.
Regards,
Scott Napierkowski
Erie, PA