I was a volunteer diving support team member for years before being hired by St. Johns Archaeological Expeditions as the artifact Conservator for the Maple Leaf shipwreck excavation from 1993 - 1995. Not being a grinch here, I just want to point out a few misconceptions:
#1 - We were not TH'ers (Treasure Hunters). We did not sell a single artifact. All the artifacts went to the US Army Center for Military History, and to the State of Florida. Dr. Keith Holland, the project organizer and director, has a small display of artifacts in his office, and the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History sometimes displays Maple Leaf artifacts (but they usually have it stored, so they can have lots of bells and whistle gadgets for the kiddies, not much history on display there).
#2 - Although we did find parts of knapsacks (I excavated dozens: measured, sketched, photographed and preserved them). These knapsacks were located inside the soldier's foot lockers (odd boxes, not regulation/issue). No artifacts were found inside of knapsacks, rather the knapsacks were in tatters inside the foot lockers. Oh, and the silt is more like 14 feet deep, not 6 feet deep. It takes a week of dredging after setting up a silt barrier, just to get to the cargo hatch.
#3 - It is not an "ongoing thing". We stopped recovery operations in 1995. All artifacts were turned over to their proper authority that year (except for Dr. Holland's small display). But maybe, in the future, another excavation may be done.
#4 - The General Hunter was raised during the war. It's not there on the bottom of the river, just the Maple Leaf, and only about 5% of the cargo has been removed, not 50%
When they found the Maple Leaf, the hull was under 6 feet of mud. Once the mud was removed and access to the hold where cargo was stored. TH'ers found knapsack belonging to the Union troops who were being transported when the ship sank encased in mud. Mud has no oxygen so nothing rots or corrodes. Researchers found paper letters still legible and all sorts of items found in those knapsacks. Only about half of that ship contents has been recovered, its a ongoing process. The General Hunter sank nearby was loaded with quarter master supplies and if that hull can be found, muskets, ammunition, cannonballs and such will be preserved waiting for discovery. Even the old Torpedoes if any are left and are encased in the mud will be as good as the day they were made. I have pulled Iron spikes from a different site that were over 100 years old from mud and they were like new.
