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Hi Everyone,
Here in Oz we have laws that are supposed to protect wrecks more than 75
years old.  It *is* possible to recover objects within the legislation,
and there was a ships bell recovered recently off Sydney.  To do it the
divers photographed the location to establish the exact position of the
bell relative to the rest of the wreck.  They then measured the bell and
had an exact copy made.  The bell was then removed and replaced with the
copy, and the real bell sent off for professional preservation.  I think
that cost about $AUD3000, ($USD2250).  They are allowed to keep the bell
for the rest of their lives, then ownership reverts to the state.
If you do it this way you get to have your cake and eat it too.
We have divers here who take things off wrecks without doing this sort of
thing, but we have lots of people who don't abide by the law.  (I've been
booked speeding more than once!)  But maybe we can pressure the wreck rats
to do it responsibly, becuase there is a way of having the goodys and not
buggering the significance of wrecks.

Cheers Jason O-)

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