As I said, I believe that there should be some set of guidelines to determine the necessity for salvage of an artifact from a wreck. Unfortunately since many countries don't exercise their territorial claims to the wrecks that lie in their waters these important ships are essentially sitting ducks for the first person out to make a profit. The Empress of Ireland is a perfect example of the horrible acts of destruction that can happen to an unprotected liner. I was very happy to hear that the Irish government has finally stepped up to the plate and is doing something to protect the Lusitania, but I have to admit that it feels like it's too little too late. I think that most of the items raised from maritime wrecks are, when it comes down to it, nothing or particular importance. As I pointed out earlier, when an item is removed from an ancient tomb or temple it's original location is carefully photographed and catalogued. Granted, this method would be much more difficult underwater, especially when the items being raised are great in number (coal, etc), however I don't think that many of these items are important enough to be raised in the first place, especially when you consider that they will probably wind up in private collections, far from the eyes of the general public. And so, before I get any more long-winded, this is a personal set of guidelines that I had to come up with for a report in high school, and I thought they might be of interest here. Keep in mind, these apply only to ships that have sunk recently enough for there to be items found on land that closely match those that might be on the ship.
a.) No item can be removed from the hull of any wreck except in cases in which the item is extremely scarce and can be better studied on land. However in cases such as these the item must not be attached to the ship in such a way that drilling or blasting would be required for it's removal. If the item can be removed without damaging the ship then it must first be photographed in place (no human tampering so that a better photograph can be taken), identified and then removed. Immediately upon its removal a weighted, numbered marker must be left in place of the salvaged item in order for the area around it to be studied during future dives.
b.) Items such as coal, dinnerware or any other debris which is easily identified and is found in abundance is prohibited from salvage.
c.) Items that are recognizable as personal to possibly deceased passengers or crew must not be raised without written consent from the family of the deceased owner (in the event that the item is identified as belonging to a particular person).
d.) The structural integrity of a sunken ship must never be compromised during the process of salvage. Any practice which will cause damage to the wreck (i.e. blasting) is strictly prohibited, no matter the cause.
e.) Each salvaged item must be carefully catalogued and treated upon its arrival at the surface.
f.) No salvaged item may be physically altered in any way beyond the standard methods of preservation (i.e. the cutting in half of the Big Piece raised from the Titanic site in 1998).
g.) Salvaged items may not be sold to private collectors. When a salvaged item has been studied and tested as thoroughly as possible, it may be donated to a museum on permanent loan, or, if the salvor wishes to do so, it may be returned to the wreck site in the same place and position from which it was removed.
h.) The original location of all salvaged items, no matter how small or large, must be photographed prior to removal, and upon removal a weighted, numbered marker must be left in the item's place.
