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WWII USS Wasp helmet found!


oldabewla
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RememberThe5thESB

I hate the ocean. Biggest fear of mine there... But I'm just gonna be on my way and learn how to scuba..

 

All jokes aside that's amazing to see, and very haunting indeed.

 

Sent from my SM-J327V using Tapatalk

 

 

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ClaptonIsGod

and it should being it's a war grave.

 

I suppose that's kind of an age-old ethical question, which they've also broached with the Titanic (admittedly not a war grave but still a place of massive loss of life, and they chose to raise artifacts for preservation). I agree with both answers. On the one hand, it is part of a massive war grave, and it's entirely possible its owner died in the sinking. On the other hand, it doesn't have any remains near it, and will merely vanish into particles over time leaving no trace - when it could possibly find a place at the U.S. Navy museum or Annapolis where it'd be a preserved, visible, haunting connection to the wreck and the war for generations to come as the only piece above the surface. I'd personally lean toward the latter option (although obviously that would have to be the Navy's decision), but it's also fortunate that it's so deep no looters will ever have a chance at making that decision for malicious purposes. Hopefully the expedition recorded its location so it can be revisited on future dives. At the end of the day, it's the same scenario as people digging up relics on the battlefield - it's a tradeoff between leaving things to rot away and recovering them to preserve their historical value for the future. We also presumably don't know how far from the wreck the helmet was located, if it's a significant distance perhaps it was lost overboard during the evacuation.
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I suppose that's kind of an age-old ethical question, which they've also broached with the Titanic (admittedly not a war grave but still a place of massive loss of life, and they chose to raise artifacts for preservation). I agree with both answers. On the one hand, it is part of a massive war grave, and it's entirely possible its owner died in the sinking. On the other hand, it doesn't have any remains near it, and will merely vanish into particles over time leaving no trace - when it could possibly find a place at the U.S. Navy museum or Annapolis where it'd be a preserved, visible, haunting connection to the wreck and the war for generations to come as the only piece above the surface. I'd personally lean toward the latter option (although obviously that would have to be the Navy's decision), but it's also fortunate that it's so deep no looters will ever have a chance at making that decision for malicious purposes. Hopefully the expedition recorded its location so it can be revisited on future dives. At the end of the day, it's the same scenario as people digging up relics on the battlefield - it's a tradeoff between leaving things to rot away and recovering them to preserve their historical value for the future. We also presumably don't know how far from the wreck the helmet was located, if it's a significant distance perhaps it was lost overboard during the evacuation.

 

 

Are there not similar models of helmet available for museum presentation without touching this one? I think there are and this one and all stuff in military graves should remain where they are. NO reason to go down and start establishing precedent that 'its ok' to start bringing things back to the surface from sunken warships.

 

Had this ship not been found, and had we not had the technology to find it, it would remain there in that place untouched and unfound until it vanishes into no trace. I am sorry, but I am vehemently against retrieving any relics from places like this. for any reason. From what I have heard the Navy knows exactly where this ship is and I'd assume are in the process of mapping [if they have not already done so with the aid of Paul Allen's ship] every foot of it.

 

I am just as vehemently against bringing artifacts up from the Titanic. Just My thoughts.

 

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