#1 is from the 1995 Season Report made by Salvors, Inc. to the State of FL
#2 thru #6 are from the 1996 Season Report made by Salvors, Inc. to the State of FL
#7 & #8 are from the 1997 Season Report made by Salvors, Inc. to the State of FL

     Shipwreck salvagers and archaeologists from all over the world are finally recognizing the value of working together.  I have become somewhat frustrated by all of the politics involved, however, I choose to continue to have faith in mankind and to work towards a more benevolent society.  In that light, I have put together and published here on the internet some excerpts from some of the reports that were submitted by our corporation to the State of Florida.  I have done this in hope of gathering constructive criticism, whether positive or negative from interested parties from both backgrounds.  These reports were produced by a privately owned for profit salvage company.  The only cost to the taxpayer would be a small portion of the administrative staff in Tallahassee, Florida who oversee all salvage operations statewide.  We received no grants or public funding.

     Here are a few quick insights into what I believe would be positive improvements. I know we do not live in an ideal world, but if we did………..Everyone would use a standardized and worldwide compatible software, (I use Windows and MSOffice).…..All databases would be in MSOffice Access…….DGPS would be used worldwide by shipwreck excavators…….They would all use Degrees, Minutes and Decimal minutes to the third decimal…….There would be standardized abbreviations for artifact compositions & descriptions……it would all be accessible on the internet (for research information)………..and a standardized & user friendly  mapping program would be designed…. And, (this is a big one) All of the above would be AFFORDABLE TO THE AVERAGE JOE.  Is that really asking too much?  I don’t think so.  It is possible.  Of course this list could go on and on but these were a few of the highlights.

The following excerpts are not in any particular order, and some may
seem repetative, however, you can see that there is progress being made.  There is always room for improvement.  Some key points to remember are as follows:

1. These are excerpts from reports that are interim reports, done annually, on a project that will take decades to complete.

2. This project initially began in 1963 with state officials on board all vessels.  The original mapping and artifact tagging system was designed by the state.

3. None (or very little) of the mapping/location data from pre-1983 is repeatable.

4.  The shipwrecks contained in these reports vary in date from 1618 to 1824 with the majority being from a fleet that sank in 1715.

5. They are in an area approximately 80 square miles in size.

6. The sites are all salt water and  high turbidity zone.  We may get about 90-100 working days per search vessel per year. The rest of the year there are swells, rough water, winds, high energy surf zones, and high natural turbidity causing low visibility and conditions impossible to work safely in.

I welcome any comments and suggestions via email to:  abt@sunet.net