Who Owns Lost Ships?

Who Owns Lost Ships?
by Peter Tyson

In one sense, the question is moot. The sea owns lost ships, of course. Tens of thousands of shipwrecks litter the beds of oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water. Some of them have rested there for thousands of years and will likely remain there forever. But when human beings find and covet a wreck—for its historical value, its diving possibilities, its gold—then the question suddenly becomes rabidly contentious.
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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lasalle/owners2.html