| Author keywords |
Marine salvage, Risdon Beazley, deep sea recovery, Costa Concordia, HMS Edinburgh, SS John Barry, bullion, San José, SS Central America, Whydah, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, Belitung Wreck |
| Abstract |
Ships were part of economic systems when afloat, and sinking often does not mean a wreck no longer has monetary value. Following a shipwreck, salvage, usually undertaken soon after the event, seeks to return those goods to the flow of commerce. Epic salvages of modern times include not only Costa Concordia, but also post–World War II salvage to recover lost strategic metals, bullion, and specie in the epic adventures of Risdon Beazley, and more recent salvages of gold and silver from World War II wrecks. Modern efforts to salvage some lost cargoes, notably those of colonial Spanish wrecks, however, have sparked controversy between governments that still claim their lost cargoes of centuries past, as well contentious debates with archaeologists. |
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