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By Markus Junianto Sihaloho - Jakarta Post

The government said on Wednesday that it had launched an investigation into the activities of alleged treasure hunter Michael Hatcher, who has a lengthy history with Indonesia and is believed to again be operating on a new discovery.

Aji Sularso, an official with the National Committee for Salvage and Utilization of Valuable Objects from Sunken Ships (Pannas BMKT), said it had established a joint investigation team comprising related government institutions.

“We are investigating the case,” Aji said.

Aji was responding to complaints by the Consortium for Rescuing National Assets (KPAB), which alleged the ministry had not responded to its report regarding Hatcher, who may hold both British and Australian passports.

Speaking during a news conference in Jakarta, Endro Soebekti Sadjiman, a member of the consortium of nongovernmental organizations, said they believed Hatcher and his associates had been operating in Indonesia since 1986 and had surfaced in a “secret mission in Blanakan waters” near Pamanukan, Subang, West Java.

“The government must arrest him,” Endro said.

Daniel Nafis from Inside Indonesia, another member of the coalition, said Hatcher began operating in Indonesia salvaging the Vec De Geldermalsen shipwreck in East Bintan waters, Riau Islands province.

Items from the ship reaped $15 million during auction at Christie’s Amsterdam, he said.

It was this incident that led the government to establish Pannas BMKT to supervise any further salvage missions, Daniel said.

In 1999, Hatcher allegedly discovered the Tek Sing shipwreck near South Sumatra waters. According to some Internet accounts, the vessel is described as the “Titanic of the East,” given the loss of life associated with the sinking in 1822.

It has been described as one of the most important antique shipwrecks ever discovered.

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From Telegraph

A shipwreck containing £5 million worth of ancient treasures is being protected by a cage, creating a giant underwater safe, in Croatia.

The second century Greek trading vessel lies on the sea bed off the coast of Cavtat. Little remains of the wooden ship but its cargo of earthenware amphora - ceramic vases - still remain stacked row upon row.

The vases, which originally contained olive oil and wine, are still tightly packed into the cargo hold as they were centuries ago.

Its cargo - one of the best preserved from an ancient wreck - has great historical significance and has an estimated value of £5m on the black market. Croatian authorities are so concerned about looters plundering the valuable artefacts they have now protected the site - with a metal cage.

The heavy-duty cage features a large hinged door, which is kept locked with occasional access granted for divers under strict supervision. Underwater photographer Neil Hope, of Torpoint in Cornwall, was among those given permission to dive the wreck. 

He said: ''I'm an experienced diver and I've dived wrecks all over the world, but this was the most unique experience.

By Matt Deans - The Coffs Coast Advocate

An expedition to uncover lost war relics beneath the waves at Gallipoli will set off for Turkey next month after being saved by a grant from the State Government.

The archaeological survey, known as ‘0’ will map the forgotten underwater battlefields of Anzac Cove, North Beach and Suvla Bay.

Coffs Harbour diver and photographer Mark Spencer is set to rejoin the team that in 1998 surveyed the famous World War I wreck of the Australian submarine the AE2 – lost in the Dardanelles Strait on April 30, 1915.

The team hopes to map the remains of sunken landing craft, stores and ammunition along with the famous jetties, Watsons and Williams piers.

“The most conspicuous remnants of the beach landings from 1915 are the footings of the old jetties the troops built during the eight months of occupation,” Dr Spencer told The Coffs Coast Advocate yesterday.

“We expect, however, to find other - and hopefully more personal – artefacts on the sea floor with our diving searches, from dog tags to cigarette lighters, bullet shells, bayonets and magazines.

“This is a landmark project. It adds another dimension to our understanding of the Gallipoli landings and also helps to make this historical event more tangible for the average Australian, as this event slides further back into history.”

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By Myron Kukla - The Grand Rapids Press

The mysteries of two cargo schooners lost in the 1860s to the depths of Lake Michigan have been solved, thanks to a little detective work.

Members of the Holland-based Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates told a crowd of 500 maritime enthusiasts Saturday the story of tracking down and identifying the schooners William Tell and A.P. Dutton.

"I was the first diver down to the William Tell, which is in about 200 feet of water off the South Haven coast," MSRA director Valerie van Heest told the Knickerbocker Theatre audience.

She said it took some research after the boat's discovery to prove it was the William Tell because the boat burned to the waterline before it sank in 1869 leaving few clues for the discovery team.

Speaking at the 12th annual "Mysteries & Histories Beneath the Inland Seas" program, van Heest said the dive team found mounds of a white substance at what was believed to be William Tell shipwreck. All they had to go on was the cargo of quick lime the ship was carrying when it sank.

They took a bucket sample and turned it over to Hope College Chemistry professor and department chairman Graham Peaslee who, through chemical analysis, determined it was lime.

"Lime is a very explosive and flammable substance when it gets wet and the cargo likely got wet and set the two-masted schooner on fire," said MSRA researcher Craig Rich, who is the author of the new book "For Those In Peril: Shipwrecks of Ottawa County Michigan" published by In-depth Editions.

By determining the cargo was lime, they were able to positively identify the ship as the William Tell. And, through the process of elimination, they determined the shipwreck discovered in 2004 was the A.P. Dutton.

"The A.P. Dutton sank in 1868 with a cargo of school furniture destined for a new one-room school house in Berrien County. They had to hold the school dedication without furniture after the A.P. Dutton went down," van Heest said.

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Dari RRI

Cirebon, Setelah penemuan Harta Karun Dinasti Ming di Perairan Cirebon yang disita dari kegiatan pencarian ilegal di perairan Blanakan, Kabupaten Subang beberapa waktu lalu, Tim penanganan indikasi Ilegal Barang Barharga Muatan Kapal Tenggelam BMKT dari Kementrian Budaya dan Pariwisata, ke Cirebon untuk melakukan penelitian dan investigasi terhadap penemuan ribuan keramik Cina tersebut.

Kepada RRI Ketua tim penanganan, Rini Supriyatun yang juga arkeolog dari Dirjen Sejarah dan Purbakala, Direktorat Peninggalan Bawah Air mengatakan, pihaknya belum memastikan nilai dan usia barang-barang antik tersebut karena proses penelitian masih dilakukan.

Yang jelas tegas RINI sesuai UU No 5 Tahun 1992 tentang Benda Cagar Budaya, penemuan tersebut sudah masuk kategori benda purbakala atau Benda Cagar Budaya BCG.

Hingga sore kemarin, pihaknya baru menemukan sepuluh jenis keramik yang berbeda dari enam dus harta karun sitaan yang baru selesai diklasifikasi.

Dari bentuk dan motifnya, kata Rini, keramik Cina yang ditemukan di perairan Blanakan Subang ini mempunyai keunikan tersendiri, selain itu dari sisi usia, Rini memperkirakan benda-benda kono ini tidak lebih tua dari penemuan serupa di perairan Karangsong, Indramayu Pada tahun 2004 yang dipastikan merupakan peninggalan Dinasti Ming sekitar abad ke 10.

Sementara itu Danlanal Cirebon Letkol Laut P Deny Septiana mengatakan, Periran Cirebon sudah sejak lama dikenal sebagai tempat perburuan liar harta karun atau Benda Berharga Muatan Asal Kapal Tenggelam BMKT. Perburuan tidak hanya dilakukan oleh penyelam tradisional dan nelayan lokal dengan peralatan yang sederhana, tetapi diduga melibatkan sindikat internasional.

Menurutnya Perairan Cirebon menjadi lahan perburuan bagi pencari harta karun dari seluruh dunia, dari sekira 640 lokasi benda berharga BMKT, 120 titik di antaranya terletak di wilayah perairan Cirebon.

Dengan potensi yang ada, tidak heran sudah banyak pemburu liar melakukan pengambilan benda-benda antik dari dasar laut. Permasalahan Perburuan Harta Karun yang mencuat akhir–akhir ini dengan disitanya ribuan keramik peninggalan Dinasti Ming ke 10 ini, diperkirakan sudah berlangsung lama.

Sementara itu, menanggapi permasalahan Ijin Eksplorasi wilayah Laut yang dilakukan oleh pihak swasta, Kasi Perijinan Direktorat Peninggalan Bawah Air, Dirjen Sejarah dan Purbakala, Kementrian Budaya dan Pariwisata, Pahang mengatakan, kalau pihaknya memang telah mengeluarkan Ijin tersebut.

Pihaknya juga membenarkan banyaknya upaya-upaya pencarian baik yang dilakukan secara legal maupun ilegal untuk mengangkat harta karun yang tersimpan di dasar perairan Cirebon.

Pahang mencontohkan kasus pencarian ilegal seperti ditemukan dua kapal layar motor KLM Alini Jaya dan KLM Asli tanpa awak yang membawa ribuan harta karun yang jumlahnya mencapai ribuan di perairan sekitar Ciasem, Blanakan, Subang, Jabar yang tertangkap oleh Ditpolair Jabar.

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By Robert Blackmore - ABC Sunshine Coast

Now that the location of the sunken hospital ship the Centaur is known, this Anzac Day will hold a special significance for the relatives of those who lost their lives in 1943.

Now that the location of the sunken hospital ship the Centaur is known, this Anzac Day will hold a special significance for the relatives of those who lost their lives in 1943.

As Australians all over the world prepare to remember our lost diggers during Anzac Day memorials and dawn services, the memory of the Centaur will begin a new phase.

For more than 60 years the exact location of the World War II hospital ship torpedoed by the Japanese of the South East Queensland coast had not been known. However with the site now found by ship wreck hunter David Mearns and images of the Centaur being made public, the 268 people lost when it sunk in 1943 can be remembered with a new sense of closure.

The shipwreck was found last December and a wreath will be laid during Sunday's service at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. Centaur Association president Richard Jones says this Sunday's Anzac Day will have added significance for the friends and relatives of those killed in the Centaur sinking.

Mr Jones says there is now a feeling of relief since the wreck was found and this Sunday's ceremony will have extra meaning for people who lost someone.

"In the past they participated in Anzac Day marches, but it's always been, 'well, we know it happened but we don't know where they are' and that question's been settled once and for all," he said.

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By Kim Tae-gyu - Korea Times

Korea is striving to develop versatile aquatic robots, which can swim as well as crawl on the seabed at a depth of 6 kilometers by 2016.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Monday that the Seoul administration will channel 20 billion won over the next five years to create the underwater vehicles. 

"It must be able to swim at a speed of 18 meters per minute and walk 30 meters per minute to explore the seabed to search for organisms or minerals," the ministry's director Joo Hyun-jong said.

"On the strength of its precision camera and acoustic facilities, the robot will also be able to find sunken ships that divers cannot easily access to."

The development of a six-paddle locomotive machine has drawn people's attention here since they could have helped following the sinking of the Navy frigate Cheonan in the West Sea late last month.

Dozens of sailors died in the tragedy and eight are still missing. Bereaved families of the dead crew members believe that some of them might have been rescued alive had there been a faster search. 

Due to strong tidal currents and bad visibility in the West Sea, the search and rescue of the sunken vessel took several days. The ministry believes that such a six-legged drone would be ideal to work under such circumstances.

"The development of walking deep-sea robots was proposed a couple of years ago before the Cheonan disaster as demonstrated by the modest 1 billion won earmarked for the project earlier this year," Joo said.

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From Sussex Countian

The Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck and HMB DeBraak, two of the more than 200 shipwrecks that have littered the floors of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay off Lewes, will be explored in the program “Zwaanendael Shipwreck Archaeology” which will take place on Saturday, May 29, between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at the Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Hwy., Lewes.

In addition to historical information and a display of artifacts recovered from the two shipwrecks, “Zwaanendael Shipwreck Archaeology” will include a hands-on activity which will help children better understand the science of archaeology by finding, analyzing and researching, or drawing artifacts.

The program will also feature a demonstration of stipple drawing by Sharyn Murray, a Millsboro artist and Zwaanendael Museum historical interpreter.

Stippling creates an image through the use of small dots of a single color of pigment, applied with a pen or brush. Murray has recently completed a collection of stipple drawings of artifacts recovered from the Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck.

HMB DeBraak was a British naval vessel that sank in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Henlopen in 1798. The ship was raised, and badly damaged, during a commercial salvage operation in 1986. The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA) has curated the remains of the ship’s hull and its contents since they were acquired by the State of Delaware in 1992.

The Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck is thought to be the remains of a British commercial ship that ran aground near present day Roosevelt Inlet in the late 1700s.

The wreck was inadvertently discovered in 2004 during a beach replenishment project that mined sand from the floor of Delaware Bay.

An underwater archaeological investigation located the shipwreck site in 2005, while a second investigation in 2006 recovered a wide range of artifacts representing the ship's cargo. Recovered artifacts from the shipwreck are curated by HCA.