I tried to ask this recently, but got no real responses...  Any takers?
This was discussed on the list sometime last year.
Mary Ellin D'Agostino
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At 08:54 AM 9/5/96 +1000, you wrote:
>Does anybody feel a little concerned about the looting of the Titanic? Surely
>the implications are that anyone can just go to a historic shipwreck and loot
>it, not to mention the issues around disturbing graves. Isnt this the kind of
>behaviour that maritime archeologists have been trying to prevent?
>
>The failure of the current expedition is more concerning as having disturbed
>the site with no sucess they plan to come back and try next year, creating no
>doubt more damage to the site. In Australian waters this site would have been
>protected by the Historic Shipwrecks Act.
>
>Iain Stuart
>University of Sydney
>
>