# Why can't someone claim the Bismarck? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729 "2003-03-07T15:36:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729/1 "2003-03-07T15:36:27Z")
There was an excellent James Cameron program showing on the Discovery Channel about the Bismarck this week. A passing mention was that they weren’t allowed to bring back any “artifacts” because of international law. Why? Does the fact that it’s a warship make a difference? If a car dealer in Virginia can take ownership of the Titanic under international salvage law, what prevents some similarly well-heeled person from commissioning a dive to bring back a rusty bolt and make the same sort of claim (as the Virginia chap apparently did)? ---
**Author:** ![ChalkPit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@ChalkPit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChalkPit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729/2 "2003-03-07T16:04:44Z")
It’s more to do with it being a War Grave. Respect to those fallen in battle . ---
**Author:** ![bradministrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@bradministrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradministrator)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729/3 "2003-03-07T16:31:38Z")
Warships (and crashed military aircraft) are considered the property of their government in perpetuity, by international law, even if they sink in another countries sovereign territory. ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729/4 "2003-03-07T17:26:20Z")
The US attempted to [Raise](http://www.pbs.org/saf/1305/features/ship2.htm) a Soviet Golf class submarine. Wouldn’t that be the same type of salvage operation? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729/5 "2003-03-07T18:26:30Z")
Maybe that’s why the US/CIA did it secretly? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729/6 "2003-03-08T03:30:59Z")
We chatted about this question at some length last fall in this thread: [A ship sunk during wartime is a natural graveyard and can’t be moved?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145610) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-someone-claim-the-bismarck/159729/7 "2003-03-08T04:24:13Z")
The US/CIA operation was definitely illegal under international law. I’d heard about it before, but I hadn’t heard about the incident with the missle. It sounds like the CIA guys are lucky they didn’t nuke themselves.