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By Emilio Parodi - SwissInfo

The wreck of the cruise ship Costa Concordia could remain where it lies near the Italian island of Giglio until the end of the year or longer before it can be broken up or salvaged, the official in charge of the recovery operation said on Sunday.

Divers searching for bodies in the hulk, which lies half submerged a few metres from the shore, suspended work on Sunday after heavy seas and strong winds caused the vessel to shift noticeably, authorities said.

Bad weather had already delayed plans to begin removing the 2,300 tonnes of diesel fuel in the ship's tanks, an operation expected to take from three weeks to a month once it gets under way, probably by the middle of next week.

Civil Protection agency chief Franco Gabrielli, who is in charge of the operation, said removing the massive wreck from its position outside the port could take up to a year.

"We already knew that this was a very long, drawn out case but I think it's important that everyone is very aware that it will have a very significant timeframe," he told reporters.

Salvaging or moving the ship cannot begin until the fuel and lubricating oil is removed and the risk of an environmental disaster is averted. Even after that, other preliminary work must be done before a company is awarded the salvage contract.

"Just for that, we'll need not less than two months. From that date, we'll move to the operational phase, which will last from 7-10 months," Gabrielli said.

The delay could have a dramatic effect on tourism on the island, a popular holiday spot in a marine reserve off the mainland coast of Tuscany.
"I really fear a drastic fall in arrivals next summer, also because of the problems the ferries have getting into port," said local hotel owner Paolo Fanciulli.

The mayor of Giglio, Sergio Ortelli said the island would seek government help of the delay in moving the ship proved significant and he expressed some annoyance at the forecast.

"It would have been better to wait before talking about the timeframe until there is a firm project in place," he said.

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By Rick Dewsbury - Daily Mail

Lord Nelson's sword is hidden in a ship wreck 500ft below the surface of the Mediterranean sea, an explorer has claimed.

Diver Mark Ellyatt says that he discovered the weapon in the ruins of HMS Victoria, which sank off the coast of Lebanon in 1893.

The sword is said to have been among a haul of Nelson memorabilia that belonged to Vice Admiral George Tyron. Collectors could pay up to £1m for the artifact  - which is the same one that the Naval Lord shown holding on Nelson's Column in central London.

However, there are concerns about who would claim ownership of the sword if it is recovered from the sea.

Mr Ellyatt said he found the sword in Tryon's cabin which had an adjoining cupboard  containing a number of items that belonged to Nelson.

'The MoD wanted to know the whereabouts of anything to do with Nelson. They didn't want it appearing on auction websites,' Mr Ellyatt told the Telegraph.

'They were very interested in the sword but seemed to get cold feet when I offered to bring it up for them. I don't want people to go and strip the ship bare.

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From The Local

“When we got down there we expected it to be a rock, but as we pulled off the seaweed we saw that it was metal parts,“ said diver Lasse Carlsson local paper City Malmö.

The discovery, which has been kept a secret since this summer, occurred during a university-funded expedition to explore the ocean environment in the region. 

The coast guard registered objects on the seabed some 10 kilometres outside the Kämpinge bay. When the divers went in for a closer look, they discovered metal scrap parts spread over a 100-metre radius. 

“It is a really interesting find. It is the first time in at least ten years that a plane with machine gun ammunition has been found in Swedish waters,” said research engineer Kjell Andersson to the paper. 

The discovery has been kept a secret since the divers came across the wrecked aircraft during the summer. 

Not only did the researchers fear that hobby divers might tamper with the historical remains but the site was potentially very dangerous until the Swedish military had destroyed the live ammunition still contained in the plane. 

“The ammunition could be very dangerous,” said Andersson. 

Swedish military divers have now assessed the site, taking photographs of the find to decide whether the ammunition should be brought to the surface or destroyed on site.

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From YLE 

Eleven bottles of the famous champagne found in an early 19th century shipwreck near Finland’s Åland Islands will go on auction next summer, according to reports by Åland media. The bottles are believed to be some of the oldest—if not the oldest—champagne in the world. 

The government of the semi-autonomous maritime province of Åland had decided to sell several precious bottles some time ago, but now it settled on how many would be sold.

Newspaper Ålandstidningen reports that four of the bottles to be auctioned in summer 2012 are from the champagne house Veuve Clicquot, six are Juglars and one is a Heidsieck.

The latter arouses particular interest since only four such bottles were recovered and just one will go for sale. 

Last June, the province auctioned off two bottles of the 145 found in the shipwreck. A Juglar went for 24,000 euros, while a Veuve Clicquot fetched 30,000.

The cargo of intact, corked bottles was found in the summer of 2010.

From PRWeb

Sub Sea Research (SSR) spent months searching for the elusive ship, the Port Nicholson, torpedoed by German U-boat U87, June 1942.

It took two torpedoes and about 7 hours to sink her. U-87 also fired at the troop ship the “Cherokee,” quickly sinking her with a heavy loss of lives.

The Port Nicholson is a steel-hulled, 481 ft. merchant ship, coal fired freighter built in 1918 at the Tynes & Wear shipyard.

She was carrying two special envoy USSR agents overseeing the delivery of a very important Lend-Lease payment from the USSR to USA. She along with 4 other commercial vessels were being escorted by an unusually high number of military ships.

The normal ratio at the time was near 1:10 or less but this convoy ratio was 6:5. Maybe it was the fact they were delivering 1,707,000 oz. troy, in 400 oz. bars of platinum.

Strangely the two USSR special envoy individuals quickly disappeared after being rescued and brought to American shores.

They were not de-briefed like all the other survivors were.

SSR first discovered the Port Nicholson in 600-800 feet of water off Cape Cod in 2008. In 2009 SSR obtained legal recognition from the US Courts as the legal owner and salvager of the ship.

SSR researchers corresponded with individuals manning the ships and even spoke with another U-boat captain who was in the same area. They have talked with survivors and relatives of the men of the Port Nicholson and the Cherokee.

One Yarmouth, MA author has written a book and is waiting for “the last chapter” of raising the valuable cargo of the Port Nicholson.

These researchers also found declassified documents verifying the cargo as well as the debriefing of the sinking.

According to SSR research, the Port Nicholson and four other ships were being escorted by six military ships in a convoy from Halifax to New York.

The Port Nicholson is documented to be carrying ~1,707,000 troy ounces of platinum. It may also contain $165M of copper, zinc and war stores.

Greg Brooks, one of two SSR founders, said his team has already recovered several identifying and critical artifacts. He has verified that “it is without a doubt the Port Nicholson”.

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By Steve Scherer - Reuters

She was found inside the ship's chapel, submerged up to her shoulders, but in one piece. Fire department divers wrapped her in a white towel, and used a nylon belt to hold it in place so she would not be damaged as they pulled her out.

On Saturday, the plaster statue of the Madonna from the doomed Costa Concordia cruise liner stood in a white tent on the port of Giglio, still wrapped in the same towel.

Found early on Friday morning, it was only shown to reporters on Saturday. Orange and black equipment bags were piled next to it, and helmets and diving gear hung behind.

The man in charge of the team which rescued the statue said he had taken the time to recover the relic when there were still 21 people missing because "it seemed like the right thing to do."

"When we entered the crumbled churches around L'Aquila after the earthquake, we always recovered the sacred objects," Fabio told Reuters, asking that his last name not be used.

Fabio, like many firefighters called to search the Concordia which capsized a week ago off the Tuscan coast, had worked in L'Aquila and the towns surrounding it after an earthquake killed more than 300 in 2009.

Symbols are important to a community, he said.

The Madonna is about a meter tall, wears a golden crown, and a white robe with a light blue border. A small baby Jesus lying on a pillow was also salvaged, and is sitting on a stool next to the figure of St. Mary.

"We also recovered the tabernacle with the host, and the crucifix," Fabio said. "We gave it to Giglio's parish priest."

The parish priest, Don Lorenzo Pasquotti, opened the doors of his church on the tiny island off the coast to more than 400 survivors when the ship was abandoned, and has put some objects they left on a small table near the altar - a life jacket, a hard hat, survival rations, and a half-eaten panettone cake.

From East Grinstead Courier and Observer

Lord Lingfield is to chair a new charity set up to recover artefacts from HMS Victory.

The ship, an earlier vessel than Admiral Nelson's flagship preserved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, sank in a storm in 1744 with the loss of more than a thousand crew.

Sir Robert Balchin, who became Lingfield's first ever lord a year ago, is a relative of Admiral Sir John Balchin, who died when the pioneering naval ship was sunk.

The Ministry of Defence announced this week that a new charity, called the Maritime Heritage Foundation, would "recover, preserve and display in public museums" items from the wreck.

Lord Lingfield, who has lived in the village for 31 years, will now lead the recovery.

He said: "We hope that this site will give us a unique insight into the world of the mid-18th-century Royal Navy.

"We are very concerned that natural erosion, damage from fishing vessels and illegal looting may endanger the wreck and therefore we have planned an archaeological survey that will record the site before it deteriorates further.

"Odyssey Marine Exploration has proved its expertise and we are looking forward to working with them to protect the maritime heritage associated with Balchin's Victory."

The foundation will be supported by an advisory group, with representatives from English Heritage and the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans Andrew Robathan said: "The gift of the 1744 HMS Victory to the Maritime Heritage Foundation should give better protection to the wreck which is very important to British naval heritage.

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By Eric Pfeiffer - The Sideshow

A team of salvage divers has discovered an unexplained object resting at the bottom of the Baltic Sea near Sweden.

"This thing turned up. My first reaction was to tell the guys that we have a UFO here on the bottom," said Peter Lindberg, the leader of the amateur treasure hunters.

Sonar readings show that the mysterious object is about 60 meters across, or, about the size of a jumbo jet. And it's not alone.

Nearby on the sea floor is another, smaller object with a similar shape. Even more fascinating, both objects have "drag marks" behind them on the sea floor, stretching back more than 400 feet.

"Could this be the Star Wars Millenium Falcon, a plug to an inner world or a marine version of Stonehenge?" asks CNN's Brooke Bowman:

Well, it could just be another shipwreck. Or, mud.

But Lindberg says the ship theory doesn't really hold up because of the unusually large size of the objects.

"Of course it would be something from another ship but it's quite big," he told CNN. Lindberg notes that some observers have speculated that the objects may be Russian warships built around the end of the 1800's.

However, Lindberg points out that not only were those ships much smaller, they were not patrolling the Baltic during that era.

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