Information on starting a salvage / Salvor operation

TheRingFinder

Bronze Member
May 22, 2013
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1,991
Minnesota
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Detector(s) used
Minelab - E-Trac / Excalibur
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Treasure: The Business & Technology, by Phillip Olin, available at Amazon. It is a bit outdated.

Your best bet for information may be a forum such as this or the shipwreck forum at TreasureWorks.

Tom
 

DW, if you are interested in treasure hunting "salvage" there is probably no more useful reading than can be found with the "Search" function on this website.
Start here: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/s...quired-reading-maritime-treasure-salvage.html and work in ever-widening circles. Make sure you have a comfortable chair.
Also highly useful (and fascinating) printed matter can be found at Terry Armstrong's Signum Ops | Home as well as Alan Workman's Books | Workman's Books - Specializing in references for Numismatists and Treasure Hunters under "Shipwrecks and Treasure"
and here: SUNKEN TREASURE BOOKS
If, on the other hand, you are referring to maritime salvage of non-historical ships and structures try these:
"Modern Marine Salvage" by Milwee and "Marine Salvage" by Reid- both should be available on Amazon.
In addition take a look here: CLASSIC DIVING BOOKS - Salvage
here: https://www.mandibooks.com/Category.asp?SID=9&CID=143
and here: Books

I hope this is of some help.
 

Thanks alot - I am searching for info on treasure hunting salvage, mainly in the Florida area. Appreciate the help, I have been in contact with a couple divers working the treasure coast, though communications and answer come very slow and difficult to say the least.
 

First off you need a unlimited amount of money.Either yours or someone elses that is willing to take a risk that they will never see it again.Once you have the money you can pretty much do anything you want.Hire people for mag and SS surveys,divers,buy equipment,boat,dockage.Or find someone that has all this equipment and partner up with them.That is if you already have a legal site to work.
 

Or like Bob Marx once said, get a bunch of booze and chicks, take them out to party on a boat, then throw all your money into the water!
 

Here's a preliminary list:

Legal - The 1715 wrecks and the Jupiter wreck are the two most popular sites that are leased and legal to salvage. These leases are owned and you must gain permission to do so.

Research - read every book you can on Florida salvage (only because you asked for Florida, and many of the challenges have been around for 40+ years)

Vessels - Any boat that can be outfitted with blowers (mailboxes). Single or twin screw will work. Smaller vessels can be used for preliminary searches/dives.

Primary Tools - pulse induction hand-held detectors, magnetometer (Geometrics), side scan (Hummingbird, Lowrance, Klein)

Diving - SCUBA, hookah units (Brownie)

Investors - good luck and have fun with this one


Feel free to add to the list...
 

RingFinder there have been many northerners that asked the same questions. The best way to get an answer is to come down here and work as a diver for one of the sub-contractors. You will get hands on experience and actually see what it takes to start a successful salvage operation. Also you will have people with expert opinions working with you that you can get more information from. I have one question for you: why do people still live in Minnesota?
 

Sorry to blow your bubble ring finder but the party's over. U can't look without permission, u can't keep what u find because it "Belonges to the people of the United States" Even if u have an arrest on the site because " the FKNMS does not recognize federal arrest" So all the hard work , all the money, all the thousands of hours spent running surveys, all the time in the deco chamber means nothing. If u want to look , keep it quiet if u find anything keep it more quiet especially from the " people of the United States "
 

I would think raising funds$$$$ at least a sufficient amount would be the biggest obstacle. They have made the Florida permit system complicated. If it was me. I'd head for the Bahamas instead.
 

Before anyone crosses the Gulf Stream with open wallet in hand...
Apparently the Bahamians got some guidance from the Florida Division of Hysterical Resources on how to quell anyone foolishly trying to create economic activity that might disrupt the flow of power from one corrupt bureaucrat to another. The Bahamian Defense Force will welcome you with open arms if you start working there with no permits..oh..and no one seems to be issuing any permits.
Maybe there is hope for something in the Bahamas: PM embarking on treasure 'Odyssey' | The Tribune but it's been awfully quiet since then.
 

You all need to go the Gary Drayton route. The guy is amassing a small fortune hunting the beaches and shallow waters of south Florida. While recovering mostly modern jewelry, many of the pieces Gary has found rival shipwreck jewelry in value & workmanship. No boat, no investors, no contracts or beauracracy, just a knowledgeable guy with a good detector and scoop.
 

Thanks alot for all the information - I have a lot of work ahead of me. Salvor6 - I have no idea why anyone lives in Minnesota - I found myself here one day when i was young and have been trying to leave it eveer since!!!:BangHead:
 

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