Posted by Kevin on May 04, 2001 at 10:15:23:
In Reply to: Re: the VALIANT posted by Don Lake on May 04, 2001 at 09:48:07:
I offered it to them the day I found it. They politely said " no thanx ".
I told them they should also have a small display on the Valiant, and they stated they have a display on the Avalon and the Ning Po wreck, and they did not have any desire for another wreck display.
If any museum wants any of the stuff I have been bringing up, they can have it. Except for the capstan of the Olympic wreck that went to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, they simply don't want the stuff.
Unfortunately its all rotting away down there. The helm I pulled off the Ace One is 30% gone, in another 40 years it would be just a rust spot at 130 FSW. The rudder of the Diosa Del Mar off Catalina was basically being eaten by worms at 180 FSW, until I brought it up and soaked it and placed it in a vat of linseed oil.
If you know of any local museums that would like to display this stuff, I will gladly donate anything in the interests of promoting our local maritime history. My sincerest desire is that through organized exploration, research, restoration and display we can save some of these treasures that are dissolving as we speak on the ocean floor.
Kevin