HMS Warship Sussex: Treasure Hunt
The Council for British Archaeology and a number of other archaeological organisations have voiced extreme concerns about a commercial treasure hunting contract between the UK Government (negotiated by the Ministry of Defence, Disposal Services Agency (DSA)) and a US underwater salvage company, Marine Odyssey Exploration Inc., to recover bullion from a wreck which the salvors believe to be that of the 17th century Warship Sussex, which sank off Gibraltar in 1694. The CBA believes that through this deal the British Government has engaged in a joint venture selling antiquities to pay for an investigation of questionable archaeological feasibility, and in a way which contravenes UK commitments to international conventions as well as basic principles of the Government’s own heritage policy. Below you can find links to documents setting out the concerns of the CBA and others about this deal:
- Council for British Archaeology Slams Government Treasure Hunt - CBA Press Release, 8th October 2002
- Government and the Treasure Hunters - Article by George Lambrick in British Archaeology, December 2002
- Battle of the Bullion - Article on Higher Education Research Organisation website
- ICOMOS General Assembly Resolution noting concern about “The Sussex” deal - proposed by the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH) and agreed in Madrid, December 2002
- House of Commons Early Day Motion criticising the Sussex deal - text and list of MPs who signed the motion
- Note on joint-letter from CBA, Nautical Archaeology Society, ICOMOS UK, European Association of Archaeologists & Institute of Field Archaeologists - brief note in British Archaeology (May 2003) about joint-letter sent to MPs about the deal.
© Council for British Archaeology, 2002
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