Posted by Brendon Baillod on October 31, 19103 at 11:40:38:
In Reply to: That's not the point here... posted by S. Stevens on October 31, 19103 at 05:10:27:
People get too hung up on the current laws as they apply to Great Lakes wrecks. The laws are still in a state of flux and shouldn't necessarily be the only principle in determining Great Lakes shipwreck policy.
The important point is that these artifacts are part of our cultural heritage and are part of the history of local communities and families. It is sad to see these artifacts disappearing into basements for the relatively small dollars they bring, but I don't necessarily think they should be put back on the wreck once they've been removed and cleaned up.
The best thing to do would be to donate these artifacts to an area museum for a tax donation. That way the public can see them, the donor gets credit and recovers some money in a tax break.
To pawn these artifacts off on ebay for a few bucks shows little respect for the sailors, communities, vessels and the artifacts themselves.
BB
: The porthole, plain and simple, is stolen property. The individual offering it for sale on eBay is not the "owner" under any definition of the word and there's nothing anyone can say to argue that fact. The Cedarville wreck is a part of the Straits Preserve, effectively placing it under the ownership of the State of Michigan. More importantly, the auctioning of the wreck's fittings raises serious ethical issues regarding individuals profiteering from artifacts stolen from the remains of a recent (within our lifetime) disaster that cost the lives of 10 people. Such a sale effectively promotes blatant disrespect of the actual tragedy and is an insult the victim's surviving family members, many of which I'm sure would be more than a bit upset upon learning that a piece of their loved one's gravesite is being hawked by some nimrod on an internet auction site. Thanks to these unscrupulous "artifact peddlers" on eBay and the like, the demand for Great Lakes shipwreck memorabilia remains steady, offering a lucrative means of income to thieves. I don't care one iota if this porthole was recovered in '66 or '96. I don't care if the individual selling it is not the same individual who ripped it off the wreck 37 years ago. And it definitely makes no difference what condition it is in, being that it was never the kind of item that should have been appraised for it's potential monetary value in the first place. All this sale does is feed the artifact frenzy - another trinket for the shelf behind the counter of some PADI Pro Facility in Tavernier or a "trophy" for some stroke in Goober Falls, Minnesota who would claim he salvaged it all by himself just to impress his friends. This isn't about shipwreck aesthetics, get it? This is about calling attention to the behavior of an individual who's seeking to turn a profit from the sale of a stolen artifact from a recent Great Lakes tragedy. I reiterate: It belongs to the State of Michigan, or to the people of the Presque Isle region if you prefer, and therefore, it belongs back on the wreck.
: Oh yeah - and you expect more than a few outraged families in Rogers City, MI once the Alpena News gets wind of this little auction.