On Wednesday, August 09, 2000 7:47 AM, Chuck wrote:

(snip)
> Alas, I fear that most of the divers who dive on wrecks do not share the
> same reverence.  Souvenir hunting and profit making are rampant and that
is
> where the line between archaeology and grave robbing lies for me.

I guess it's a controversial issue with many points of view.  In certain
instances - where vessels are declared war graves - I'm inclined to agree
with you.  The fact remains, however, that there are probably relatively few
sunken vessels that haven't involved loss of life.

And quite apart from any archaeological angle, marine salvage has - as far
as I'm concerned - always been a noble profession.  (In fact salvaging
wrecks for profit was probably the single biggest boost to the development
of diving!)

Strike