Wreckhunter Message Board

Special Exhibit in honor of Bill Carter March 15- June 3, 2012

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:34:54 GMT

On Sunday April 15, 2010 a Special Exhibit will be open to the public at the Scituate Maritime Museum, Scituate, MA in memory of my dad, Bill Carter. It is a wonderful tribute to a shipwreck diver who touched many lives and taught all of us so much about shipwrecks. On display are several unique artifacts he recovered and preserved. The pride of his collection is the whistle from the tanker "PINTHIS" which now has a new permanent home at the museum. Please come and see it! Grand opening is on Sunday April 15th, 1-4pm. Refreshments will be served. Please join us!

The Maritime & Irish Mossing Museum

301 The Driftway

Scituate, MA 02066

(781) 545-5565

1-4pm Sundays, all year

1-4pm Saturdays, July and August

Wreck inside Great Captains Island off Greenwich, CT.

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:52:38 GMT

Understand this is a tugboat, but no-one knows the name. Burned to the waterline in the early 1950's. Still visible at low water is the 6 cylinder engine block. Any body know a name; owner, etc?

Treasure hunter says he found $3B WWII wreck

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:03:09 GMT

Treasure hunter says he found $3B WWII wreck
By CLARKE CANFIELD | Associated Press – Wednesday February 1, 2012

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A treasure hunter said Wednesday he has located the wreck of a British merchant ship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Cape Cod during World War II while carrying what he claims was a load of platinum bars now worth more than $3 billion.

If the claim proves true, it could be one of the richest sunken treasures ever discovered.

But an attorney for the British government expressed doubt the vessel was carrying platinum. And if it was, in fact, laden with precious metals, who owns the hoard could become a matter of international dispute.

Treasure hunter Greg Brooks of Sub Sea Research in Gorham, Maine, announced that a wreck found sitting in 700 feet of water 50 miles offshore is that of the S.S. Port Nicholson, sunk in 1942.

He said he and his crew identified it via the hull number using an underwater camera, and he hopes to begin raising the treasure later this month or in early March with the help of a remotely operated underwater vessel.

"I'm going to get it, one way or another, even if I have to lift the ship out of the water," Brooks said.

The claim should be viewed with skepticism, said Robert F. Marx, an underwater archaeologist, maritime historian and owner of Seven Seas Search and Salvage LLC in Florida. Both an American company and an English company previously went after the contents of the ship years ago and surely retrieved at least a portion, Marx said. The question is how much, if any, platinum is left, he said.

"Every wreck that is lost is the richest wreck lost. Every wreck ever found is the biggest ever found. Every recovery is the biggest ever recovery," Marx said.

Brooks said the Port Nicholson was headed for New York with 71 tons of platinum valued at the time at about $53 million when it was sunk in an attack that left six people dead. The platinum was a payment from the Soviet Union to the U.S. for war supplies, Brooks said. The vessel was also carrying gold bullion and diamonds, he said.

Brooks said he located the wreck in 2008 using shipboard sonar but held off announcing the find while he and his business partners obtained salvage rights from a federal judge. Salvage rights are not the same as ownership rights, which are still unsettled.

Britain will wait until salvage operations begin before deciding whether to file a claim on the cargo, said Anthony Shusta, an attorney in Tampa, Fla., who represents the British government. He said it is unclear if the ship was even carrying any platinum.

"We're still researching what was on the vessel," he said. "Our initial research indicated it was mostly machinery and military stores."

The U.S. government has not weighed in on the court case yet, and Brooks said he doubts that will happen, since the Soviets eventually reimbursed Washington for the lost payment.

A U.S. Treasury Department ledger shows that the platinum bars were on board, Brooks said, and his underwater video footage shows a platinum bar surrounded by 30 boxes that he believes hold four to five platinum ingots each. But he has yet to bring up any platinum, saying his underwater vessel needs to retrofitted to attach lines to the boxes, which would then be hoisted to the surface by winch.

"Of course there are skeptics," he said. "There's skeptics on everything you do."

Maritime law is complicated, and there could be multiple claims on the ship's contents.

After the sinking of the HMS Edinburgh, an English warship carrying Russian gold bullion as a payment to the allies during World War II, England, the U.S. and Russia made claims on the sunken treasure, Marx said. The salvage company was given 10 percent of the prize, while the three countries split the rest, he said.

In other big finds, treasure hunter Mel Fisher made international headlines in 1985 when he discovered a $450 million mother lode of precious metals and gemstones from a Spanish galleon that went down off Florida in 1622.

In another case, a Tampa exploration company has been ordered by the courts to return $500 million worth of treasure from a Spanish warship to Spain. The ship was sunk by the British navy during a battle off Portugal in 1804.

Greg Brooks, co-manager of Sub Sea Research, is seen aboard the salvage ship Sea Hunter in Boston Harbor Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 holding a picture of the British merchant ship Port Nicholson which was sunk by a German U-boat in 1942 with a cargo of 71 tons of platinum now worth about $3 billion. Brooks will use the Sea Hunter to recover the cargo of the Port Nicholson. A port hole of the Port Nicholson can be seen on the screen behind Brooks. (AP.Photo By Winslow Townson)

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE:
http://news.yahoo.com/treasure-hunter-says-found-3b-wwii-wreck-212234672.html

Bill Carter

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:20:16 GMT

Dad passed away in November. Nice video my sister did as a tribute.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2155952858823

Tug Harkness off Matinicus

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:20:11 GMT

Does anyone have or know where I can get GPS numbers for the Tug Harkness that sank off Matinicus Island Maine January 16, 1992? I think they found it a couple of years ago, but I can't find coordinates for it. Thanks

Wreck of the Mars

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 11:49:40 GMT

Does anyone have any information of artifacts collected from the bridge section of Mars? Any information on the site would be helpful.

KIOWA

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:42:33 GMT

looking for excact gps cordinates for the wreck called the KIOWA

Wreck of Steamer Larchmont 1907

Thu, 19 May 2011 01:49:34 GMT

Looking for information on the 2 divers ( Burt Mason and one other ) who discovered the wreck Larchmont in the 60's..Anyone know the stories of this.. And am interested in buying any postcards of the wreck, survivors, where they brought the victims, any info on this. Thank you...

Weather Alerting Website

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:29:22 GMT

I always get annoyed having to check multiple websites to see when the conditions are perfect to dive, but I just found JoeWeather.com. Joe allows you to set up a profile (one for free) with your own weather specifications including temperature, swell size, wind, etc. and then alerts you when the weather forecast matches your profile. It's great, now I just wait to hear from Joe to plan my diving trips.

New - Shipwreck Videos Page

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:08:58 GMT

We've created a new page called Shipwreck Videos. We plan to post additional links on it from time to time. To check it out, click the link on the Site Navigator... DC (Editor)

DOn

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:40:15 GMT

In regard to the DON http://www.wreckhunter.net/

Years ago "Yankee" magazine of Dublin New Hampshire reported the loss of the"DON"

Help ID this wreck (?sub)

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:52:47 GMT

This team off Cali found this wreck in 300' of water. They thought it was a sub at first, but now no ones knows what it is.

They have posted very high quality video on http://www.thedecostop.com in a thread titled "submarine found off San Clemente" Take a look and see what you think it is....

http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?p=497923#post497923

Eastern beaches/wrecks off the beaches of Maine

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:01:35 GMT

Does anyone have any info on the eastern beaches of maine and any wrecks that may have occured off of the beaches. (PUBLIC BEACHES)

Wrecks on chart..Penobscot Bay????

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:44:13 GMT

Does anyone know what the wrecks are on the charts that are near Metinic Island. There is one about halfway between Metinic and Aldens Rock looks like about 100 feet of water. and the other one is right on the south side of Aldens Rock in probably 50-80 feet of water. A ships name and coordinates would be great.

U boat 853

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:36:51 GMT

Hi, anybody dive the U 853? I've got 2 sets of Lat. Longs and would like to narrow it down a little. I've also heard they have balls attached to the wreck and alot of ghost lines once your down on it. Is this info correct? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Mike