{Avalon, NJ – June/July 1985}
Two days later, Representative Crockett and maritime attorney Don Harrison traveled to the Masters’ home to discuss the unique discovery and pending situation. Crockett complimented the family for promptly notifying the authorities and pointed out, “Too often, people who discover items of value and importance care only about a quick profit. They try to privately sell their finds in hopes of making a big windfall. By doing so, they risk being exposed to adverse actions and dangerous situations. I’m very pleased that you chose a different path.”
Attorney Harrison added, “The congressman is correct. There are numerous documented incidents in which folks tried to sell a discovered antiquity on the black market. Far too often, these illegal dealings don’t end well. The sellers often face difficult situations with swindlers and criminals. And if and when they’re caught, all of the parties have been subjected to prosecution by the authorities.”
Attorney Harrison then told the family that many rules could apply to lost and found property. “It’s not always easy to determine who’s the rightful and legal owner of a significant and historical find. Generally, in our country, there’s a presumption that the finder of an item of value will get to keep it as long as the item is found on his or her property.” He then added, “But this situation is different. Other parties could make strong arguments that the property rightfully belongs to them. For example, the US government and the state of New Jersey could each assert claims of rightful control of the wrecked U-boat and its contents since these items were discovered in territorial waters.”
At that point, Johnny said, “Wow, I never looked at it that way. I just thought that the cave … I mean U-boat … was on Grandma and Grandpa’s land. So, the U-boat and gold must belong to them.”
Harrison responded, “Well, Johnny, based upon everything that we’ve learned, it appears that the U-boat and the gold have been sitting within the confines of your grandparents’ property lines for the past forty years. Even so, when you and Wayne entered the storm-damaged bulkhead, you found the vessel and its contents immersed in seawater. Because of this, the government could argue that the U-boat was, in fact, discovered in territorial waters. And as such, it falls under the government’s control.”
Wayne responded, “You’re right, Mr. Carson. The cave, I mean U-boat, was filled with plenty of tidal water when Johnny and I climbed inside to explore.”
Harrison added, “Well, there are actually more factors to consider besides just the landowner and the government. Because the vessel originally belonged to Germany, it’s possible that the East German or West German governments could request the return of the vessel. Any such claim could be bolstered if we find remains of German sailors within the damaged U-boat.”
Congressman Crockett then remarked, “But since the gold was not actually a component of the wrecked military vessel, there are viable reasons for not voluntarily returning the gold to either German government, especially since the gold may have been illegally obtained by Hitler’s regime.”
In a very serious manner, Crockett looked around the room and then continued. “Remember, since the end of the war, we’ve learned that the Nazis illegally took unimaginable stockpiles of bullion from multiple sources. Often by using shocking, sinister, and inhumane methods. The sources included the banks of occupied countries, businesses throughout Europe, and individuals who lived in Germany or the territories occupied by the German military forces.”
In a sigh of frustration, Dylan remarked, “This is indeed a difficult situation to fully comprehend. There seem to be personal, local, state, national, and international ramifications. Oh my, there may be no easy way to decide who is the rightful owner. I never in a million years would have guessed that the big storm back in 1945 would have washed a Nazi U-boat onto our property and then bury it under tons of sand for all these years!”
Crockett responded, “Unfortunately, you’re correct, Dylan. This is not going to be easy. All of these potential scenarios make this complicated to navigate. And to add more salt to the wound, if this matter is litigated to determine the ownership and salvage rights, it could take years before it’s resolved, and there’s no doubt that the legal expenses will be astronomical to all parties involved.”
At this stage of the lengthy conversation, Mark sensed that his entire family was truly overwhelmed and exhausted. Accordingly, he stood up and suggested, “I think we all could use a break. Let’s adjourn for now and meet again tomorrow. This will give us some time to think about the best option for moving forward.”
As the visitors were leaving, Mark felt bad when he noticed Johnny’s and Wayne’s distraught expressions as they sat on the floor in the living room. His heart ached when he overheard Wayne whisper to Johnny, “I never thought that finding a treasure would make everyone feel so rotten. This sure doesn’t happen on TV. All the cool treasure-hunt shows and movies end with the good guys keeping the treasure!”