Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
A few years ago, I read an article that stated the average chart that NOAA puts out is five years out of date. That's just the charts they have new data for, but no funding to update the chart. Never mind the charts whose surveys are 20+ years old. Chris Brown Suffolk, VA --- Jim Cobb <cobber@ci*.co*> wrote: > Bill the disturbing thing about all this is that our > "underfunded" NOAA > program, who does not have enough money to maintain > it's ships and cannot > even do it's job of reporting on oceanographic > weather information and put > out decent charts, suddenly has all the money it > needs to do stuff not in > it's mission statement. > > While I am navigating on ancient, outdated charts, > NOAA is down there > spending hundreds of millions salvaging the Monitor > and now appears to be > styling itself to the protector of piles of rust on > the ocean floor in > so-called "marine sanctuaries". And on top of that > while NOAA divers appear > to aghast at anybody taking anything off these > wrecks in these > "sanctuaries", but have no problem salvaging "a few > interesting items" on > their own. This is the height of hypocrisy and > sleazy as hell. > > Personally I thing that NOAA is finding that their > atmospheric and > topographic data gathering missions are simply too > dull to get decent > funding in congress and have turned to > grand-standing and policing missions > to try to get some profile to compete with the > Coast Guard for funding. > > This is a shame and anybody who does work or has fun > on the water should > lobby their congressman and senator to provide > proper funding for NOAA, but > only if they spend the money on what they are > supposed to do, make charts > and report the weather, not salvaging wrecks or > providing personal > recreation for certain select individuals at tax > payer expense. > > As far as the junk at the bottom of the sea, if you > have the urge to see > untouched wrecks, go up to the Great Lakes to dive. > The fresh, cold water up > there preserves the wrecks and there is good reason > to leave them alone. But > you had better hurry before they are all buried > under a big pile of Zebra > mussels. > > As far as the saltwater wrecks are concerned you had > better hurry up there, > too. Whatever divers don't get off the wrecks Mother > Nature is picking up > the slack by reducing them rapidly by corrosion and > shifting sand. Lord > knows how many thousands of wrecks are now buried > under tons of sand, safe > from us "pillaging divers" and never to be seen by > the human eye again. > > Jim > > on 3/6/02 6:21 PM, Bill Wolk at > billwolk@ea*.ne* wrote: > > > Lesley - > > > > Thanks -- please forward the original message to > E-Divers; this one will > > probably be formatted badly since it has been > re-quoted so many times. > > > > Interestingly, I was trying to put together a > group to dive the 220 Wreck when > > this article was forwarded to me, and, candidly, I > am disappointed that I > > won't have the chance to see the telegraphs and > compass on site. Like most > > wreck divers, I have rarely had the opportunity to > dive near-virgin wrecks, > > and artifacts like these have usually been long > gone before I've gotten there. > > I was looking forward to seeing them. > > > > Someone else on the list asked, legitimately, if > the Florida Keys Marine > > Sanctuary office has a place to display the > artifacts once they're recovered > > and conserved, and I do not know the answer to > that question. What I can say > > -- and this goes to the heart of the artifact > recovery issue -- is that the > > person who took them has deprived me and other > Florida technical divers of > > both the opportunity to see them on the wreck > underwater AND the opportunity > > to see them on land, which is good for no one. > > > > I am opposed to closing wrecks to divers for any > reason -- even those of > > archeological or historic significance like the > Monitor -- but events like > > this do not help our cause. Plus, because of the > Queen of Nassau's unique role > > in the founding of the Canadian Navy, artifacts > from this ship like the > > telegraphs, capstan covers, compass, bell, etc. > that can be easily restored > > and are historic can be traded with Canadian > government agencies for artifacts > > in their possession of signficance to the U.S. > > > > Steering clear of the personal politics this issue > has raised on the list, it > > should be clear that the current situation > benefits no one -- other than the > > one or two persons with the artifacts -- and harms > everyone, especially divers > > like us who have been deprived of the chance to > see these artifacts in situ. > > I hope that between this list and others like > E-Divers, the persons who took > > the artifacts will read the article and take > advantage of the amnesty offer to > > remedy the situation. > > > > Best - > > > > Bill Wolk > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Lesley Jacques <runawaylobster@ya*.co*> > > Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 04:51:30 -0800 (PST) > > To: Bill Wolk <BillWolk@ea*.ne*> > > Subject: Re: Queen of Nassau/Islamorada 220 Wreck > > > > [snip] > > > >> if you would like me to forward this message to > >> E-Divers let me know. > >> > >> Lesley. > >> > >> --- Bill Wolk <BillWolk@ea*.ne*> wrote: > >>> The following message re: the 220 Wreck/Queen of > >>> Nassau was forwarded to > >>> me off the list. I'm sure the AUE divers here > are > >>> aware of the situation > >>> and are working with NOAA to remedy it. If > anyone > >>> else has information, > >>> please contact the Florida Keyus Marine > Sanctuary > >>> office at the number in > >>> the article. > >>> > >>> > >>> --------- > >>> > >>> > >>> Archaeologists Identify No-Name Wreck off > >>> Islamorada > >>> Sanctuary Seeks Information on Missing Artifacts > >>> > >>> Islamorada Florida Keys National Marine > Sanctuary > >>> officials are > >>> seeking information on the fate of significant > >>> artifacts that appear > >>> to be missing from a recently identified > shipwreck > >>> proposed for > >>> nomination to the National Register of Historic > >>> Places. > >>> > >>> Divers with the Association of Underwater > Explorers > >>> (AUE) dove the > >>> mystery wreck, located in 230 feet of water off > >>> Islamorada, in the > >>> summer of 2001 and reported it to Sanctuary > >>> officials. In mid-October > >>> 2001, AUE members joined NOAA and National > Undersea > >>> Research Center > >>> staff for a preliminary archaeological survey, > led > >>> by National Oceanic > >>> and Atmospheric Administration archaeologist > Tane > >>> Casserley. > >>> > >>> Along with other artifacts, the port and > starboard > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email! http://mail.yahoo.com/ -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
Navigate by Author:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Subject Search Index]
[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]
[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]