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From Telegraph

The Frau Maria was commissioned by Catherine the Great to transport precious porcelain, gold, silver, bronze and 27 paintings by Dutch masters for her art collection, which became the basis for the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg.

But the ship was struck by a storm in October 1771 and sank 41 metres (135 feet) off the coast of what was then Sweden, Tarasov said.

Artem Tarasov, head of the Rescue of National Cultural and Historic Valuables fund, said the project would take two years.

"We would like to say that within two years all necessary measures will be taken and in 2010 we will be able to finally see what secrets this ship holds."

There is hope that the paintings have not been ruined, he said.

Catherine herself sent off several expeditions in vain efforts to raise the schooner, which may indicate that the paintings, whose total cost could be up to 100 million euros, were packed into leaden boxes sealed with wax and could yet be salvaged, Tarasov said.

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From the Sydney Morning Herald

Almost 300 family members of the crew of the ill-fated HMAS Sydney are heading for the wreck site for a commemoration service.

Services will be held across Australia on Wednesday to mark the 67th anniversary of its sinking.

HMAS Manoora sailed from Geraldton on Tuesday afternoon on an emotional 19-hour journey to Sydney's grave site, 207km north-west of Geraldton, off WA's midwest.

Accompanied by the guided missile frigate HMAS Sydney, the fourth ship to carry the name, more than 280 family members are to take part in an on-board service beginning about 9.30am on Wednesday.

It will be the first opportunity for families to commemorate the anniversary of the ship's sinking on November 19, 1941, while knowing where their loved ones rest.

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From Mideast

Mention underwater archeological treasures and most people will think of shipwrecks full of chests of gold from far corners of the earth.

However, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), together with the Egyptian government, is now planning to show the world that underwater archeology can be much more, by building the world's first underwater museum to show the rich cultural and historical heritage that can be found under the Bay of Alexandria in northern Egypt.

The museum will be built by the government of Egypt, while UNESCO has established an International Scientific Advisory Committee to help lay the groundwork. The committee is expected to start preparatory work this month.

The decision by the Egyptian government comes amid growing international awareness of the need to protect archeological sites located underwater.

UNESCO has established the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, which is expected to become operational by the end of 2008 after its ratification by 20 states.

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From Indiana University - Newsroom

The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded Indiana University $200,000 to turn the Captain Kidd shipwreck site and three other underwater preserves in the Dominican Republic into no-take, no-anchor "Living Museums," where cultural discoveries will protect precious corals and other threatened biology in the surrounding reef systems under the supervision and support of the Dominican Republic's Oficina Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural Subacuático (ONPCS).

The news comes just months after the unexpected discovery of teak wood on the Captain Kidd site, a discovery that IU archeologists say confirms that this is the Cara Merchant, the ship Captain William Kidd commandeered and then abandoned in 1699 as he raced to New York in an ill-fated attempt to clear his name of piracy charges.

By Rebekah Allen

For many scuba divers, the thrill of visiting the sunken aircraft carrier Oriskany is touching the flight deck.

But Hurricane Gustav pushed the wreck deeper, putting the deck just out of safe reach of recreational divers and threatening the appeal of the underwater tourist attraction.

When the ship was sunk in May 2006, the flight deck was 135 feet down, 5 feet outside the recreational diving limit, but instructors said it still was relatively safe for tempted divers to make the touch.

"People just had to touch it," said Eilene Beard, Scuba Shack co-owner. "And we'd say, 'OK, bounce down there and touch it and get back up here so you don't use all your nitrogen.' "

But after Hurricane Gustav pushed through the Gulf of Mexico, the sunken ship shifted about 10 feet deeper.

To an untrained diver, 10 feet may seem insignificant, but instructors fear the drop could affect the appeal and safety of the local attraction.

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By Caroline Muscat

The redevelopment of the Manoel Island yacht marina will not damage a World War II wreck, the Midi Consortium has pledged, amid concerns over its vulnerability.

The vessel - an X127 Waterlighter sunk in 1942 - lies fully intact in the waters beneath Lazzaretto Creek.

"The sunken wreck will not be affected by any of the marine works that we are planning in the vicinity of Lazzaretto. No works will be carried out close to the wreck," Midi plc CEO Ben Muscat said.

Over the past year, concerns have been raised over the protection of the X127 Waterlighter, one of 200 designed by Walter Pollock and Son of Faversham in Kent for the Gallipoli campaign in 1915.

During World War II, the X127 was used as a submarine supply barge. It was sunk by enemy fire while still lashed to its moorings beneath the arched colonnades of the Lazzaretto. The sunken wreck remains intact and is a popular diving spot.

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By Jasper Copping

Now, academics believe the vessel, the pride of Henry VIII's fleet, was actually sunk by a French warship – a fact covered up by the Tudors to save face.

The Mary Rose, which was raised from the seabed in 1982 and remains on public display in Portsmouth, was sunk in 1545, as Henry watched from the shore, during the Battle of The Solent, a clash between the English fleet and a French invasion force.

Traditionally, historians have blamed the sinking, not on the intervention of the French, but on a recklessly sharp turn and the failure to close gun ports, allowing water to flood in.

To exacerbate the situation, the craft, already overladen with soldiers on the top decks, was also struck by a strong gust of wind.

But new research, carried out by academics at the University of Portsmouth, suggests the ship was fatally holed by a cannonball fired from a much smaller French galley.

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By Bryan Russo

The City Council decided that the finder should be the keeper of a 25-foot rare wooden artifact found in the waters off 43rd Street in September.

Chris Mills of Delmar was struck in the leg by what ended up to be at least part of the keel of a wooden merchant ship that dates back to the 1850’s on Sept. 1 and officially was granted ownership of the artifact by the council on Wednesday upon Public Works Director Hal Adkins’ recommendation.

“I’ve contacted several museums about this piece and no one is interested in it. It’s currently sitting in a storage yard in West Ocean City, and Mr. Mills would like to be granted ownership of it, and I recommend that we give it to him,” said Adkins.

The fact that no one wanted it didn’t seem to bother Mills as he emailed Adkins just four days after he and about 25 people on the beach that day wrestled the artifact to shore, asking to be allowed to acquire the piece.

“It took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get this thing ashore, and once I realized how big it was, I refused to let go of it, because if it would have hit someone bodysurfing that day, it would have killed someone,” said Mills.

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