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From: William Manning
Category: Shipwreck Research
Date: 07 May 2006
Time: 06:22:44
Remote Name: 64.12.117.7
Mr. V.
Perhaps the only reason the Bentley case ended the way it did was that he was lucky enough to get a judge who defined embedded as totally buried. I have a flag pole embedded in my front lawn. It is far from totally buried, but it is definitely embedded in the ground. It is only logical that a wreck that has sunk a few feet into the sand is also embedded. Just because the states have been extremely incompetent in their prosecution of several shipwreck cases, that doesn't make pilfering the wrecks any less reprehensible. I personally felt it was very admirable of Mr. Ehorn to donate the figurehead from the Bentley to a maritime museum and that it was poor judgement to prosecute him for removing it. The states should pick their battles more carefully, but when they do choose to prosecute, it is a shame that they don't have attorneys capable of adequately handling the cases.