France wins suit over history-making shipwreck off US coast
France wins suit over history-making shipwreck off US coast
More than 450 years ago, a three-masted ship sank in a hurricane off the coast of Florida, taking with it France's hopes of colonizing the peninsula."If there had not been this hurricane, who knows?"
This will mean less treasure hunters finding old wrecks because there's no financial incentive
Or less incentive to talk about their discoveries publicly. I suspect future hunters will just loot the wreck, destroying much of the archeological value and then offload the artifacts on unregulated markets, further degrading any historic benefit.
I don't think the current government of France is the same as the one that lost the ship. Pretty sure they lost a lot of heads of government at some point.
Standing in the way of GME is the Sunken Military Craft Act (SMCA), a law signed by then-president George W. Bush in 2004 which recognizes the sovereignty of a country over its former warships.
Seems like this would remove most of the incentive to look for them.
"Wait a second, why is there a thumbnail of Jacksonville on this random article" was my first thought.
DUUUUUUVALLL!!!!
I get it, treasure hunters want to be compensated for finding wrecks but understand that if you do find one, that does not make you its owner. If it belonged to France when it sank, the wreck still belongs to France. "Finders keepers" is not a game you want to play with archaeologists.
Is France still the same government entity that it was in the 1600s?
Not sure if you're genuinely interested, but for purposes of international law, yes. The idea of "France" is actually a series of successor states who retain certain rights and obligations, including ownership of military assets.
I don't see how that's relevant. France as a sovereign nation still exists regardless of what form the government takes. The ship belongs to France, not the government of France.
I imagine sailing the Caribbean before weather forecasts could be a bit treacherous. How long does it take for a hurricane to pass through?
There are usually several every late summer.
Think carefully about this ruling. This might have huge repercussions on stolen relics held in European museums.
Standing in the way of GME is the Sunken Military Craft Act (SMCA), a law signed by then-president George W. Bush in 2004 which recognizes the sovereignty of a country over its former warships.
Huh, GameStop is really branching out.
If the French had founded America, who would the French have to spit on now?
Still the Quebecois
They're right to do that though.
The British
"I think it is quite appropriate to say that this is the single most historically important shipwreck in North America,"
Lol, that lawyer is a full of himself. Maybe if he added, "for French history.
Did James Cameron make a movie about your boat? No? Ok then sit down. 🤣
Titanic isn't in North America?