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Hudson River Shipwrecks Secretly Mapped

jonerik writes "According to this article in the New York Times (registration required) more than 200 shipwreck sites lying beneath New York's Hudson River have been mapped by sonar. In fact, scientists feel confident that the location of every Hudson shipwreck between Manhattan and Troy has now been pinpointed, adding that the nearly oxygen-free mud of the Hudson nearly guarantees that many of the wrecks and their contents are almost perfectly preserved. The hitch? For the time being the maps - paid for as part of the $186 million Hudson River Estuary Plan - are not being published since state officials are nervous about the prospect of so many shipwrecks suddenly being opened up to salvagers on one of the U.S.'s busiest rivers. 'We don't want to ring the dinner bell for people who have ulterior motives and don't behave responsibly,' says Mark L. Peckham, a historic preservation coordinator at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. In the meantime, state officials are now attempting to determine the historical significance of the wrecks and how they might be protected, which should hopefully lead to the publication of the Hudson River maps at some future date."

18 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. Sleeping with the fishes... by Sir+Network · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder how many pairs of shoes will be found encased in concrete when the salvage gold rush begins.

    --
    Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid. --John Wayne
    1. Re:Sleeping with the fishes... by geekoid · · Score: 3, Funny

      If you keep asking questions like that, you may get to go see for yourself.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  2. More power to 'em by ArmenTanzarian · · Score: 4, Funny

    Are the artifacts down there worth all the shots you'd have to get to swim in the Hudson?

  3. Anyone looking for buried treasure? by Toasty16 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm selling rights to the Hudson River bottom on ebay, any takers? Also up for sale is a bridge in Brooklyn, good condition, barely used!

    1. Re:Anyone looking for buried treasure? by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      "I'm selling rights to the Hudson River bottom on ebay, any takers? Also up for sale is a bridge in Brooklyn, good condition, barely used!"

      Didn't some big lizard really mess that bridge up once? I ran across that news story while I was channel surfing one day. Barely used indeed.

  4. Where are ya, Jimmy? by DirtyJ · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd be more interested to hear how many people are swimming with the fishes in the Hudson River. I'm sure the NY mafia have fitted many people with concrete galoshes over the years. Maybe the'll find Jimmy Hoffa...

  5. It's only a model by Shamanin · · Score: 2, Funny

    Judging from the picture at Hudson River, the river seems to be quite small compared to the people on the bicycles, soldiers, and horses.

    What's the big deal about mapping such a tiny thing?

    And check out the miniture bridge, what's that about...

    --
    come on fhqwhgads
    1. Re:It's only a model by SpinyNorman · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't be silly!

      That's an old picture.

      People and horses were much bigger back then.

  6. Re:Age by Latent+IT · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ah yes, those pesky Indians with large sailing vessels. Which ones were those, exactly?

  7. +6, Informative by WetCat · · Score: 2, Funny

    for the link of actual map or the map itself.

  8. Re:so by Qzukk · · Score: 2, Funny

    The ships themselves might not belong to the state of NY, but your ass will belong to the coast guard if you park your ship in the middle of the channel to go scuba diving.

    --
    If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
  9. Re:What about the PCBs? by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 3, Funny

    It took my brain a few minutes to click that people aren't talking about Printed Circuit Boards.

  10. Re:Darwin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...I would sooner eat my own shit than drink it.

    If you are actually able to drink your own shit, make sure you keep drinking fluids; diarrhea is a bitch.

  11. Re:Age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    brings to mind the old saying, americans think 100 years is old, Europeans think a 100 miles if far.

    later
    Chris

  12. Hitch? by mbogosian · · Score: 3, Funny

    The hitch? For the time being the maps - paid for as part of the $186 million Hudson River Estuary Plan - are not being published since state officials are nervous about the prospect of so many shipwrecks suddenly being opened up to salvagers on one of the U.S.'s busiest rivers. 'We don't want to ring the dinner bell for people who have ulterior motives and don't behave responsibly'....

    Geez, with over 200 wrecks, couldn't you just drag an anchor down the river and disturb at least a few? Or would suggesting that make this post a ``troll''?

  13. Arrr! Avast! Such riches await! by StefanJ · · Score: 4, Funny
    Yes, it's true.

    The bottom of the Hudson is littered with wrecks containing priceless cargo from the Golden Age of industrialism in upstate New York.

    Imagine the riches that await:

    • Fine buggy whips from the fabled Penobscott& Murchison Leather Goods mill (Cohoes, NY).
    • Enamelware basins, "the scullerymaid's friend," from Bleemer & Son's of Schenectady.
    • The finest Adirondack buckwheat.
    • Um, ice. From the pure waters of Blue Lake.
    • Top-quality telegraph line insulators from Port Jervis.
  14. Re:National Park by BTWR · · Score: 3, Funny
    The government should make the bottom of the river a national park... imagine if the Greeks or Egyptians had done this.

    Why would the Greeks or the Egyptians make the Hudson River a national park?

  15. Re:National Park by Tim+Browse · · Score: 3, Funny
    The only thing we need to prevent is people pillaging the lute.

    Yeah, who knows what tunes they might play on it!

    Tim