§2105 Rights of Ownership

Summary

The U.S. government claims ownership of abandoned shipwrecks when they are stuck in a State’s underwater lands, stuck in coralline (reef) formations protected by a State on those submerged lands, or lie on a State’s submerged lands and are on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The public must be told where such wrecks are. The Secretary of the Interior, after talking with the State historic preservation officer, must make a written decision if a wreck meets the National Register rules. Ownership is then transferred to the State where the wreck is located. Abandoned wrecks on U.S. public lands belong to the U.S. Government, and wrecks on Indian lands belong to the tribe that owns those lands. This summary does not change any rights held by the United States or any State under sections 1311, 1313, or 1314 of this title, or sections 414 or 415 of title 33.