New Shipwreck In Tampa

[Salvor6]

My group found this wreck over 10 years ago. We were afraid the state would find out and restrict diver access. One mistake in the article: the crew set fire to the ship to prevent the Union forces from using it. http://www.tampabay.com/news/scienc...found-on-bottom-of-hillsborough-river/1036540.

 

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[mad4wrecks]

Pretty cool story Pete. What methods did your group use to locate the wreck?

 

[Salvor6]

We used our sidescan and then went back the next week and used my Proton 3 mag to confirm the wreck. When the FL Aquarium found the Kate Dale last year they just took a look and burid the remains with mud. They have no intention of doing any excavation work.

 

[aquanut]

Pet,
Quit messing around on Tnet and get that boat motor fixed!
Aquanut

 

[Jon Phillips]

The only problem is...Calvin "Poppa" Taylor and his sons found the Scottish Chief, and the Kate Dale back in May of 1965. There was an article in the Tampa Tribune about it in about 1985, and an article in Skin Diver magazine. Also...The anchor and a davit from the Scottish Chief has been on display at the Veterans Museum in Tampa for quite some time. I have a scan of some Polaroids of the davit coming out. I also have a scan of a letter to Mr. Taylor from a lawyer telling him nothing could be salvaged from the two wrecks as they are still listed as war prizes by the U.S. Navy.

The state tried to "lean" on him over the things he had recovered, and went so far as to call him a pirate! They assume ownership of everything over 50 years old in "navigable" waterways...but I think the Navy will have some say over that!

This is either some serious lack of research by the Aquarium Archaeologists, or some sort of "scam" (in my opinion) to try to keep that state funding coming in on something that they don't even have ownership over. (Really? It took them 3-4 years to find something that has allready been found?) I also suspect the reason the Aquarium guys are so forthcoming about the location, is that it has been visited by so many divers over the years, that there isn't much left anyway.

If they would drop their holier-than-thou attitudes, and actually work with all of us "amatuer archaeologists", maybe it would save them a lot of time and money...but then I guess the time and money IS the point!

 

[Jon Phillips]

Well I posted on the TBO.com story....The problem is that the story is all over the internet. Fox13 did a story on it...It's on their site but no commenting area, and you can't contact the reporter. There was a story in the Tampa Tribune today on it. I thought about sending an email to the editorial section....I've seen it appear on other blogs today...the A.P. picked it up, it will be everywhere.

I'm going to see if I can get some state funding to locate Disney World....I haven't seen it in a while....but I think I have an idea of it's general location...3-4 years of government grants ought to get the job done....Of course...I'll need more money for follow-up research!

 

[ivan salis]

its criminal the way the state and its archies refuse to give credit ( or "salvage permits) to the "real finder" and are threatening him for "daring" to have the "proof" to back his claim of "his" discovery (the davit recovered in 1965 *)--- the state darn well knows what they are yet still insist they need "research grants" ( money to blow on archie "busy work") to figger out what they are -- heres a tip --uh their the katy dale and scottish chief ( both confederate blockade runners burnt by union forces after they could not take em as "prizes" due to local rebel forces attacking the union troops that took over the vessels )---duh ---gee I wonder how much money they will blow to figger that out all by themselves .--- with money as tight as it is the money could be better spent on other worthy "real projects" like actually riasing and conserving items off the wrecks

of course nothing was said by the state or its archies about the fact that blockade runners often had gold or silver money aboard them ( often in a iron strong box in the capts cabin ) as well as the "cotton" cargo which they used to buy badly needed supplies for the south .--- know that the states "got them" of course they will be "off limits" to the public and divers --rest asurred of that