Yes the US Navy and intelligence community do go after the wreckage.  The Yankee class 
ballistic missile sub K-219 went down off the east coast of the US in 1986 following 
an explosion in its missile compartment, later the Russians sent thier oceanographic 
ship the Keldesh to examine the wreckage.  They found some of the silos pried open and 
missile and warhead missing.

Interestingly enough there was an article in the NY Times recently maritmie salvage 
law.  It seem that a "treasure hunter" has found 2 Spanish galleons laden with golden 
that sank off Virginia in the 1600's.  they laid claim to them supported by the state 
of Virginia which would get a percentage of the recovery.  A suite was filed against 
them in federal court by the Spanish goverment, supported by the US Department of 
Justice, claiming that because it was a warship it remained the sovereign property of 
Spain and could not be salvaged.  This is contrary to all previous maritime law but 
would establish that a sunken warship could not legally be recovered by another 
country.  This case will go to the Supreme Court, and if upheld would make any 
operatios like the "Glomar Explorer" or the K-219 recovery illegal under international 
lae.  Interesting that the Justice department would take this position.

Jim 
--

On Wed, 16 Aug 2000 12:21:14  
 Anonymous wrote:
>
>Scores of accidents involving nuclear reactors and weapons
>               have occurred worldwide since the Nuclear Age began in 1945.
>               And an estimated 50 nuclear warheads still lie on the bottom of
>               the world's oceans, according to Joshua Handler, a former
>               research coordinator for the environmental activist organization
>               Greenpeace. 
>
>http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/broken.arrows/intro.html
>
>Presumably our spookbirds watch the oceans for
>non-US recovery teams fishing for plutonium.  
>Do the russians watch the oceans for their lost toys, including
>dead nuke subs and ocean-dumped 'spent' reactors? 
>
>-Feinkost Paranoia
>
>
>
>


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