Treasure found off Louisiana!

[Darren in NC]

What we all dream of. I haven't heard of this one. These are my old stomping grounds. Great story...

http://www.theind.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2496&Itemid=73

 

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[Salvor6]

Darren,
you need to check out the other Treasurenet forums. That was posted twice, over 2 months ago. Check out the "Treasure News" section. There's a lot more. BTW, did you hear that Odyssey Marine Exploration found 17 tons of coins?

 

[Darren in NC]

Sheesh, I guess I need to branch out from the shipwreck section to find more stories about shipwrecks, eh?

 

[pcolaboy]

That's an awesome article and somehow I never heard of it being less than 200 miles east of there!

Question though....how were they able to circumvent the Abandoned Shipwreck Act? They were most certainly in federal waters if not within Louisianna waters as well. Just curious. Maybe the author of the article just didn't include whether or not they obtained permits.

Pcola

 

[Darren in NC]

No need for permits in int'l waters. It's roughly 60 miles out.

 

[RELICDUDE07]

It did say this.They filed the claim in federal court in Lafayette on Aug. 31, 2006. “We went before Judge Tucker Melancon,” says Avery, “who listened to the evidence and found for us under the Law of Finds, which is finders keepers. The ship has to be abandoned. The ship was uninsured, and we showed him that the chain of title had stopped because the owner was the captain and he died of yellow fever with no heirs in 1847 in Touro Infirmary in New Orleans. So there were no claimants. We did all the admiralty proceedings and weren’t challenged. So we own it.” Thats the same law we have in my area finders -keepers

 

[Darren in NC]

Let's clarify here. There's a difference between filing admiralty and getting permits. Admiralty is about ownership of the wreck. Permits are about where it's located and whose "land" the wreck is on. Theoretically, you could have admiralty (ownership) and not be able to salvage due to a state/nation withholding recovery permits on their property. The best case scenario is to have admiralty in int'l waters, and thus no permits needed - which is exactly what these guys did. Good for them!

 

[RELICDUDE07]

Those guys were very lucky.They werent challenged by anyone.If they found it in fl., they would be i one hell of a mess.May even be in jail by now..I mean can you do that in fl?These guys were blowing holes and bringing up artifacts for 10 to 15 years before they went to the court house in 2006

 

[Chagy]

Those guys were very lucky.They werent challenged by anyone.If they found it in fl., they would be i one hell of a mess.May even be in jail by now..I mean can you do that in fl?These guys were blowing holes and bringing up artifacts for 10 to 15 years before they went to the court house in 2006

Yes as long as you are in international waters 12 miles out....

 

[RELICDUDE07]

Does that apply to a small island that is 12 miles off the coast?Or do you have to go another 12 miles past the island...

 

[Salvor6]

RELICDUDE, state waters are defined as from the mean low water mark of the mainland to 3 miles out in the Atlantic or 9 miles out in the Gulf. The old 12 mile limit has not been used for 30 years.

 

[Darren in NC]

12 miles is federal, not state.

 

[Darren in NC]

Article no longer exists, but it's a followup to the above....

Four Louisiana residents had a lucky find last year when they found and retrieved a stash of rare gold and silver coins from the wreckage of the SS New York. The steamship lies in sixty foot of water in the Gulf of Mexico after sinking during a storm in 1846. David Bowers, of Stack's Rare Coins, New York, said “Some of these are in uncirculated or mint condition,” predicting the best could bring $50,000 to $100,000 apiece at auction...

Some of the rare coins were minted at two mainly forgotten U.S. Mints in the South and these are of particular interest to coin collectors. Produced before the States printed paper money, these coins, with the value of $2.50 and $5, were known as quarter eagles and half eagles, and were struck in New Orleans; Charlotte, N.C.; and Dahlonega, Ga. The treasure also includes eagles with a a value of $10 at the time. “Some of these are in uncirculated or mint condition,” Bowers said, predicting the best could bring $50,000 to $100,000 apiece at auction.

The four divers, Craig DeRouen, along with fellow New Iberia residents Avery Munson and Gary and Renee Hebert,were looking for shipwrecks when they discovered the treasure trove around 1990. Bringing the coins up a handful at a time from the mud, until last year when they launched a full scale salvage operation after obtaining title to the wreck from a federal court, which gives them full ownership of the coins. “What we've found is varied, a little of everything,” said Craig DeRouen, who is on a leave from his job as a mechanical engineer in the oil industry. “There are different denominations from different years, silver and gold.”

 

[Larsmed]

theres more wher that came from in LA..In the 117-1800s the ship ports were busier than a Nevada whorehouse!

Larry

 

[FISHEYE]

In a few days you can go to new orleans and find treasure on the beaches.Mostly from casino's and offshore wrecks.I just hope they are a little smarter about evacuation this time.