[Mr T.]

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Just feeding on from one of Stevie Walker's earlier comments about going on a 'wreck hunt' and getting marks, hits and finding a new wreck, I've just had an idea, or at least what might pass for it.

Now this may be perceived, as our Jockanese (or, more precisely, our Glasga) contingent might have it as "Sparked out o'wur nut", but can any one make any suggestions (good or bad and based on either 1st-hand experience, hearsay or conjecture) about YD buying its own wreck to dive?

Criteria:

* What would it cost to purchase the beast?
* Where should it reside?
* Does the above matter?
* What are the Lloyds List/Admiralty/MCA/RoW angles that might need covering?
* How deep should it be?
* RIB-able or hard-boat-able distance?
* How fast do you do the Hundred Metres?
* What colour shoud the wreck be?
* Will it go with my wing/dry-bag combo?
* Wreck: Bungied or non-bungied?
* Am I best donning a blind-fold and listening to my 'Dr Hook' albums back-to-back instead?

OK, so I made the last few up  

Is this an idea that can fly? Or am I so far off base that I'm bombing 'Tie Rack' instead of Iraq?

Please fill your boots and hold-forth on your knowledge, experience and opinions. Get in amongst it people.

If it can be done at a resonable cost and 'moderate' logistics, then it's something I think we should consider. If not, hey, we've lost nothing, right?

Dive safe - all.

 

[Jay]

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If you own the wreck then you are responsible for it - if another vessel founders on it, the guess who the insurers will be after?

 

[Seadart Mark]

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Bren.

If yer find one with a sniff of gold/silver, you can count the Seadart boys in.  

We like shiney things.

Serious though... Top idea, and worth looking into.

Off to scan the net for info.

Seadart Bob, you/Ian/Gary gotta have some info on this kinda thing somewhere ?

Cheers

Mark

 

[Mr T.]

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Ah, that old chestnut  

If it's at, say, 30+ metres, and what with most ships' drafts being a lot less than that, then do we still have a shot?

Answers on a postcard to this site, this thread, this posting.

Come on people, you must have an idea?

 

[Jay]

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I vote for "The Good Ship Penis"!!

Seriously, I have a contact with Deep Sea Exploration Plc - will email him when I get a chance to see if he knows of anything off the UK coast

 

[angleseydiver]

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<font color='#000080'>Hi Bren,
The MCA have an "adopt a wreck" scheme on the go- spose details will be on their web-site: www.mcagency.org.uk

Why buy a wreck?
If you did you'd probably have insurers/ blame-claimers etc on your back should anyone injure themselves/die on it.
If you own it you can't stop anyone else from diving it, any cargo would prob have a different owner/s so you'd have difficulties there too.
Better to stick to plunder and declare system

Sorry to put damper on the idea but IMHO it's just not worth it!
   ATB,
     Terry

 

[Angleseyskipper]

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top tip for 2003 if you want new virgin wrecks then ya hairy arsed trawler man is your best friend.
He's out there day in day out dragging the sea bed trying to earn a crust and snagging all those lovely uncharted wrecks with his nets  ,definatley some one to get on your christmas list!

 

[Mr T.]

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Elfyn and Terry,

Roger that guys. So we'll be seeing you soon then, right?  

 

[angleseydiver]

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<font color='#000080'>Bren,
May is not a good month generally-plankton through well into June

Vis is spot on now, sunshine, light-breeze - typical, eh!

this weekend!

 

[Angleseyskipper]

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your after the creme de la creme of diving ,a virgin sir,untouched sir ,
oh sir sounds an expensive experience that one sir!

 

[Seadart Bob]

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<font color='#333399'>"Adopt a wreck scheme” is one of the ideas put forward.
I wouldn’t bother with this one unless you have a healthy financial backing and a lot of time to spare, also heavy into marine archaeology.

Quote[/b] ]your after the creme de la creme of diving ,a virgin sir,untouched sir ,
oh sir sounds an expensive experience that one sir!

You would have to have some form of committee or team to represent yourselves.
Then be prepared to go to Southampton and meet up with the MCA/ROW
and be told that if you step out of line you will be prosecuted.
You will have to finance the whole project yourself as the MCA/ROW has no finances to assist you, [only to prosecute you].
"Adopt a wreck scheme” most probably only applies to wrecks of historical interest that would be wrecks over one hundred years old.
Point here I would like to mention, in just over ten years time your WW1 wrecks will be of historical interest. Can you imagine ROW going to the Navy and asking them if they want their bits of ships back that they dumped in the first place and getting teams of divers to adopt them. That will create a lot of work for someone.
More civil servants that’s what we need.[like a hole in the head]


Terry’s suggestion seems to be a good one although his terminology may not go down to well with the ROW.

Quote[/b] ]       Better to stick to plunder and declare system        

What he really meant to say was, to remove said artefacts with the minimal amount of force.
Seadart Divers are associated with the Halsewell Archaeological Group and share with them all info etc that we obtain from the Halsewell site.
Although I am not happy with the ROW set-up I have to go along with it as there is no alternative and as I have said they will prosecute if you step out of line.
A lot of my dealings were with the dreaded Veronica Robbins she has now left

and things seem to be a bit more civil at the MCA/ROW.
That’s enough of my rantings
Cheers
Bob.
East Indiaman similar to Halsewell

 

[Angleseyskipper]

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thankyou bob for correcting my politically incorrect partner.
what was he thinking "plunder and declare"

you're spot on with ya "dreaded veronica",have you met the new girl on the block Alison kentuck?
I had the pleasure the end of last year over a salvage dispute may i say she's a bit of a darling a vast inprovement

 

[Seadart Bob]

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<font color='#333399'>

Elfyn
I think I met her at the meeting when the Halsewell became an adopted wreck also she dived the site with some of the Seadart Team a couple of years ago.
I dealt with her for the final hand over of artefacts to the Weymouth Museum.
Yer she is a different kettle of fish altogether to TFC

Bob

 

[Angleseyskipper]

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yep bob she's built for speed not comfort

 

[peter k]

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There is a shi*tload of undiscovered or forgotten wrecks round about the Clyde and Argyle(See book Argyle Shipwrecks by Peter Moir). Most of them are small fishing boats but the tonnage of some are reasonable sized boats. The best folk to speak are the local fishing boats as where they don't go with their nets you might discover a wreck. This is how the Wallachia was found and the guys who cleaned her out made an absolute fortune from selling the Whisky.

Peter

 

[parahandy]

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Many years ago my BSAC Branch Diving Officer came up with the idea of purchasing a Club wreck.  I can't remember the exact in and outs but we bought the wreck between 6 of us £33 each but not the cargo ( coal) as this wasn't included in the price. We got an official looking document confirming us as the owners think it was from the Department of trade etc.

As mentioned I seem to recall it said something to the effect that we were responsible for despersing it in the event it was hazardous to navigation.  Fortunately were its located isn't on any shipping routes being well out of the way.

As regards Virgin wrecks, am i right in thinking that all of the wrecks aren't put on the charts,? you can get the hydrographic department to do a search for a specific area and depth range which will show others NOT marked on the charts, the last time i got a search done it was about £30, its gets a bit pricey.

 

[angleseydiver]

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<font color='#000080'>Hydrographics won't give out details of uncharted wrecks if the finder/s request "CINC"-  (commercial, in confidence).
If this is requested (and it usually is) then the finder/s have
five-years in which to plun.........er,.. explore the wreck before the CINC lapses and the data then enters the public domain and the wreck gets charted.
  Hope this helps,
                         Terry

 

[parahandy]

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Terry
interesting that, so the information I've previously been supplied with must have been relating to those charted.
I remember it gave name, place built, etc etc and some information on how it was when it was last dived.

The 5 year things news to me, I can see were they are coming from though  

 

[Angleseyskipper]

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yep terrys right ,the exception to hydrogaphics giving out a cinc position is if a commercial operation ie cable/pipe  laying etc ask for all survey details for the area of the contract.
they are duty bound to give out all information cinc or no cinc.
it happened to us on an uncharted wreck a few years ago.
in all fairness they do inform you that the info has been  given out.
When you really get into wreck research and start finding a few the hydrographics are very helpfull and usually waver any  fees if you have any info on a new wreck for them.