Abandoned Shipwrecks Act

Abandoned Shipwreck Act
Long title	An Act to establish the title of States in certain abandoned shipwrecks, and for other purposes.
Acronyms (colloquial)	ASA
Nicknames	Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987
Enacted by	the 100th United States Congress
Effective	April 28, 1988
Citations
Public law	100-298
Statutes at Large	102 Stat. 432
Codification
Titles amended	43 U.S.C.: Public Lands
U.S.C. sections created	43 U.S.C. ch. 39 § 2101
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate as S. 858 by Bill Bradley (D-NJ) on March 26, 1987; Committee consideration by Senate Energy and Natural Resources, House Interior and Insular Affairs, House Merchant Marine and Fisheries; Passed the Senate on December 19, 1987 (passed voice vote); Passed the House on March 29, 1988 (263-139) with amendment; House agreed to House amendment on April 13, 1988 (340-64, in lieu of H.Res. 421); Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on April 28, 1988;

The Abandoned Shipwrecks Act is a piece of United States legislation passed into law in 1988. The Act was a neutral law to transfer ownership of applicable shipwrecks in U.S. state waters from the federal government to the state where the shipwreck was located. The drafter of the legislation was Dr. Anne Giesecke. The legislation is brief, by design, and aims to resolve a jurisdictional conflict between the Federal Court sitting in Admiralty and state governments managing state land, particularly the excavation of state land.

The Abandoned Shipwreck Act has been touted for several positive evolutions in shipwreck management. This includes expanded historic shipwreck programs or the creation of such programs, the ASA has led to a change in the culture surrounding diving shipwrecks, and ASA has helped to educate the states and the public about the value of these resources.

Before the passage of the Abandoned Shipwreck Act, "only 27 states had laws specifically addressing their underwater resources. Now, all states have evaluated their legal systems as they apply to underwater resources and where necessary have modified their laws." Several states now have maritime archeologists that help the state perform documentation of shipwrecks, help determine their historical value, and provide divers with information and education on the states' efforts to preserve shipwrecks.