Despite the best efforts of builders, captains, and crews, a nautical fact of life is that ships sometimes sink. What later happens to many of those unfortunate vessels and their cargoes is an increasingly contentious matter that maritime archaeologist James P. Delgado addresses in this issue.
Dr. Delgado's article has a twisting history that dates to the summer of 2007 when I was discussing story ideas with my boss, Naval Institute publisher Bill Miller. As he recounted his interest in shipwrecks and treasure hunting, his eyes began to twinkle—with good reason. Several months earlier, Odyssey Marine Exploration had announced its recovery of a $500-million haul—silver and gold coins from a wreck the company mysteriously code-named the "Black Swan." Perhaps a Naval History article could somehow address the overall topic, he suggested.
A couple of months later, I met Dr. Delgado during his visit to the Institute and asked if he would contribute an article giving his take on treasure hunting. He said he welcomed the chance, and in a subsequent e-mail wrote: "I am off to Turkey today, but will put my shoulder to the wheel on my return. I think I can deliver it by the late fall or year-end at the latest."
The Black Swan, however, soon intervened, delaying the article until 2010. As he explains in his story, "The Trouble with Treasure," Dr. Delgado was drawn into a U.S. federal court case in which Spain claimed ownership of the shipwreck as well as the coins and artifacts Odyssey recovered. He did not believe it was proper for him to address the issue of treasure hunting while the case was ongoing, but the judge's December 2009 ruling freed him to write about the subject as well as the Black Swan.
The final product isn't exactly the article Bill Miller had in mind back in 2007. There's a sharp divide between maritime archaeologists and treasure hunters, and Dr. Delgado, president and CEO of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, makes no bones about which side he's on. The Naval Institute, however, prides itself on being an "open forum," and we hope to publish the treasure-hunting community's take on the points he raises.
Elsewhere, this issue features articles by two Naval History Authors of the Year. Andrew Jampoler's "Disaster at Lady Franklin Bay" examines the ill-fated 1881-84 Arctic expedition led by Army Lieutenant Adolphus Greely and the Navy's key role in rescuing its survivors. Alan Rems' story, "Missouri Endgame," takes a look at the World War II careers and interactions of the leading naval officers present at the 2 September 1945 Japanese surrender ceremony.
Kathleen Williams is the author of this issue's other World War II story, "
To Do My Duty,' " about her quest to discover her father's motivation to serve in combat. His decision to do so drastically altered the lives of her family, for he was mortally wounded. The article has present-day resonance, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are similarly changing the lives of thousands of American families. In exactly what ways will be one of the topics discussed at the Naval Institute's 10 September Defense Forum Washington conference, "A New Normal." For more information, visit www.usni.org.Editor-in-Chief