Abandoned Shipwrecks Act particular case of the salvage of the "Nuestra Señora de Atocha", an historic and culturally significant wreck off the coast of Florida, in which the State of Florida was unable to prevent illegal salvage operations due to a lack of a suitable law that would disallow it, spurred action at the federal level to address the situation. On April 29, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill (Abandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987, Pub. L. 100-298, 102 Stat. 432) into law. The law provides that any wreck that lies embedded in a state's submerged lands is property of that state and
Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname of treacherous waters and location of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This location has numerous shoals and frequent rough seas. Another area off Nova Scotia is also known (to a much lesser degree) as the resting place of many shipwrecks. This is due to frequent thick fog which increases danger, especially near Sable Island. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, located in Hatteras Village, focuses on the history of this area and features many artifacts recovered from area shipwrecks. Along the Outer Banks, navigational challenges