An Overview of
The Law of Long-Lost Shipwrecks

by
Scott Collins

Helsell Fetterman  llp
1001 Fourth Avenue
Suite 4200
Seattle, Washington  98154

(206) 689-2178

scollins@helsell.com

 © 1999 Scott E. Collins
9 June 1999

Abstract

The law governing ownership and recovery rights in long-lost shipwrecks can be as murky as the waters in which they rest.  No longer is the rule as simple as “finders, keepers;” today, salvors face a myriad of laws and regulations that attempt to manage competing interests in these shipwrecks by salvors, historians, recreational users, insurance companies and government agencies.  This technical session will lay out the framework of laws and regulations that a person faces when seeking access to shipwrecks and suggest how best to navigate through them to achieve the result desired.

Speaker

Scott Collins is a partner with the Seattle law firm of Helsell Fetterman llp where he practices maritime and admiralty law.  His practice includes advising and representing clients seeking access to and/or recovery of long-lost shipwrecks and other man-made resources.  He is a graduate of Union College (B.A. 1985) and the University of Washington School of Law (J.D. 1988).  His undergraduate education included the Williams College - Mystic Seaport Program in American Maritime Studies.  His legal memberships include the Maritime Law Association of the United States and American Bar Association.  His non-legal memberships include the Propeller Club for the Port of Seattle and Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society.  He has spoken and written about the law of long-lost shipwrecks, including The Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987:  Managing Historic Shipwrecks in the United States, 17 Coastal Management 309 (1989), and other areas of maritime law.  He is an avid scuba diver.

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