CARNARVON, Australia (11 August 2007) -- There is concern international privateers and relic hunters will seek to profit from what is believed to be the wreck of the warship HMAS Sydney. A group of amateur researchers claim to have found the wreck off the coast of Western Australia, near Carnarvon. The Sydney was sunk off the WA coast during World War II, killing the entire crew of 645. Former Western Australian MP Philip Pendal chaired a select committee into shipwrecks off the WA coast and says the Federal Government must move to authenticate and protect the site. He says the interests of the finders must also be protected. "We've seen an appalling list of cases in the past 50 years where the finders of important shipwrecks have been treated badly and I don't think we have to have that repeated," he said. The men involved are refusing to speak to the ABC and most other media outlets. It is understood they are attempting to secure payment or sponsorship in relation to the find. Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says his department is in contact with the researchers. He says while the results so far are encouraging, no one can be certain until the Navy has conducted a survey of the wreck. "I'm advised by the Chief of Defence that we can have a Naval survey ship examine the wreck in some detail within the next week and until such time as we've actually ascertained certainly whether it is Sydney or isn't Sydney, I don't think that we should unfairly raise the expectations of Australia and particularly the families of those whose lives were lost," he said. SOURCE - ABC NewsAccording to Graham Shepherd, Ian Stiles and Phil Shepherd, the 66-year seach for the HMAS Sydney is finally over. | | Liars and looters Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard. Following the lead of dive industry-endorsed shipwreck looters Bishop and Sheard, scuba diving thieves around the world are destroying wrecks for bragging rights, coffee table displays and internet auction profits worth millions but a fraction of the revenue shipwrecks can generate year after year as fully protected underwater museums. FROM THE EDITORS OF CDNN Despite dive industry 'take pictures, leave only bubbles' green-wash, a small but strident group of industry-promoted scuba diving looters steal artifacts from shipwrecks under the guise of 'archaeological exploration', and aggressively compete for bragging rights, product endorsements and profits from the sales of stolen artifacts that are now on a par with those from smuggling humans and drugs. "We do not care about Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard's personality problems, their hate-mongering web sites, their chat room shenanigans nor their crude attempts to blackmail responsible, eco-friendly dive companies that support full protection of marine wildlife, shipwrecks and underwater war graves," said CDS President Evan T. Allard. "Such unscrupulous conduct is beneath contempt and serves only to substantiate accusations that Bishop and Sheard have committed crimes and will continue to do so unless authorities step in." "The fact is that the vast majority of the global scuba diving community opposes shipwreck looting and underwater grave robbing, and with good reason," Allard added. "For scuba divers, every shipwreck is an underwater museum to be fully protected for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations of divers who will dive deeper and longer thanks to ongoing improvements in diving technology ," Allard said. CYBER DIVER ALERT | If you have information pertaining to the theft and/or sale of wreck artifacts, or desecration of underwater grave sites by Leigh Bishop, Brad Sheard, organized crime gangs or anyone else, please contact CDNN immediately and your information will be passed along to appropriate authorities. REPORT SCUBA LOOTER |
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