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Well, the Wreck gear rigging thread sure has got some strong reactions about salvage vs. preservation. Obviously the Great Lakes and the Atlantic are separate cases. I just thought I'd post some of the things I've been privileged to observe on wrecks in the Great Lakes: On one wreck in Lake Superior (sunk 1928), some years back it was still possible to swim into the dining room, open the cabinets and see the tablecloths still folded on the shelves. (Maybe you still can - haven't dove there since 1988.) This at a depth of less than 90 feet. On another wreck on Lake Superior, lying intact in 175 feet of water, one can swim to the bow, past the anchors still lying in place on deck, down into the focsle and see a stove with isinglass windows sitting upright, and several spare sheave blocks hanging in place. Another one on Superior, at a depth of over 200 feet, still has the name painted in ornate lettering on the steam engine cylinder jacket, some 120 years after its sinking. Off the side of the same wreck, the diver can see the compass lying in the sand, as well as dishes and glassware scattered across the bottom. Lake Huron has a number of wrecks with standing masts (wooden) as well as figureheads, nameboards, belaying pins still in the rails, anchors still on the catheads, and wooden cabins still intact. As you can see, the cold fresh waters of the lakes can allow even fragile organic materials to survive for a long time. There is no need to salvage these artifacts to preserve them. Even on broken-up wrecks, the artifacts look better in place than in garages, basements or dens. Ask anyone who has seen the naturally sand-polished brass and copper valves and fittings on the boiler of the KIOWA in the Alger Underwater Preserve. Archaeology is another question, and is enough to be the subject of another post. Dan ========================================================= Daniel R. Fountain [Lake Superior] dfountain@ao*.co* CIS 76545,1467 "I try to learn from the mistakes of others, since I can't live long enough to make them all myself." ========================================================= +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Please send messages for the WreckDiver list to: wreckdiver@wreckdiver.com Send subscription and help requests to: wreckdiver-request@wreckdiver.com +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
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