Is there anyone who could advise legal issues regarding owning a downed ww2 aircraft wreck? If someone found downed aircraft in pacific islands and he's trying to use it to restore its original condition, what kind of legal process should he go through to claim his tresure? Becasue I would like to know whether Us goverement still owning this wrecks or not. Do I need a Lawyer and how to bring it back here? Is it possible for him to claim as a personal property? I assume US army or Navy abandoned their ownership of downed or missing aircraft during ww2 during pacific theatre.

I have dived near pacific islands where Japanese float plane has crashed including other crash sites near new guniea. Most of wreck sites were known to divers so It has been damaged .Some of the sites were so hidden, I saw someone took morphins from the first aid kit made 50 years ago from Troop ship. It was an unreal scene. Anway, I was trying to find my grandpha's airplane which near crashed at new guniea about 40miles from the coast. He ditched his aircraft 3 times . One of the reason was enjine suddenly stopped like ton of bricks for some stupid reason during RTB. He took some hits on his enjine and there was an oil leak. It was a brand new Ki-61 (japanese version of messhashumit) equipped with inline cool enjine. He dislikes inline diamler bentz enjine from germany due to complex enjine management by ground crew under the severe trpoical whether. There was no spare parts delivered from saipan aresenal. So, Many of the Ki-61 was an unoperational condition due to enjine trouble according to him . Anyway, I hope I could find this, I will planning to go to pacific islands next year for diving once again.

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Go to the library- or Google Maritime and International Law. You don't want to act on the advice of a bunch of old soldiers on a forum!

Wow! Just before I logged in here I was reading about a crashe B-17 in New Guinea, and the website had some info on ownership of wrecks!

The law on ownership of salvaged wrecks has evolved over the years. Basically, the U.S. Navy does not relinquish claims to ships or aircraft, whether sunken or above water. The Air Force, under a decision from its general counsel, regards any plane that crashed on land before November 1961 as abandoned, and hence fair game for salvagers. That is not true, however, for a plane that crashed and sank in water, which presumably means at sea, not in a swamp. (Though who knows? A sharp lawyer might have fun trying to parse that.)

from: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people...tml?c=y&page=2

I would think if you were lucky enough to find it and it was reachable, just take what you wanted from it. Oh and keep quiet untill you get home!

Thanks for the link!
It's very useful.

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