I know this may ruffle some feathers, but I figured I'd bring it up- the link below is to a great article and book review on the archeology of pirate wrecks and their identification- some interesting items are brought up. I haven't read the book, but it's on the way from Amazon. Looks to be a great addition to the home library.
http://www.archaeology.org/online/reviews/pirates/index.html
While they do take the usual stand on treasure hunters, there's some very interesting points raised. While I take the stand of being the middle ground- I respect both treasure hunters and archeologists(I won't get into that), there's an interesting reference to a point I brought up on another thread.
They mention that in regards to the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, Intersal was unable to come up with the funds to excavate the wreck, so they handed it over to the state, but retained the media and merchandising rights to the wreck. This brings up my quewry- if you have located an important wreck(the NW pirate wreck, which I believe is a hoax) that is near impossible for you to recover due to location, funds, etc, taking the step to secure these rights to it as an option. When we make a find, we all want to see it's recovery. I mean, c'mon, how may times have you seen shows and articles on this wreck? It on Discovery at least every week- each time these guys are getting paid.
I know everyone here would always like to do the recovery themselves, but I feel this option is one that should be looked into and explored here in greater depth. What are the legal issues? Contracts? Sell as one show or per airing? I know there are people here that may have sites like this and are simply unable to do any recovey. With the popularity of diving and shipwreck shows, you can still make money off it. Even if the wreck you've found has little or no "treasure", the historical documentation of it and it's media presence can be a payday in itsself.
Love to hear your thoughts on this.
-Modrian
http://www.archaeology.org/online/reviews/pirates/index.html
While they do take the usual stand on treasure hunters, there's some very interesting points raised. While I take the stand of being the middle ground- I respect both treasure hunters and archeologists(I won't get into that), there's an interesting reference to a point I brought up on another thread.
They mention that in regards to the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, Intersal was unable to come up with the funds to excavate the wreck, so they handed it over to the state, but retained the media and merchandising rights to the wreck. This brings up my quewry- if you have located an important wreck(the NW pirate wreck, which I believe is a hoax) that is near impossible for you to recover due to location, funds, etc, taking the step to secure these rights to it as an option. When we make a find, we all want to see it's recovery. I mean, c'mon, how may times have you seen shows and articles on this wreck? It on Discovery at least every week- each time these guys are getting paid.
I know everyone here would always like to do the recovery themselves, but I feel this option is one that should be looked into and explored here in greater depth. What are the legal issues? Contracts? Sell as one show or per airing? I know there are people here that may have sites like this and are simply unable to do any recovey. With the popularity of diving and shipwreck shows, you can still make money off it. Even if the wreck you've found has little or no "treasure", the historical documentation of it and it's media presence can be a payday in itsself.
Love to hear your thoughts on this.
-Modrian
