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103 Detroit Mercy L. Rev. Online J. 1 (2026)

handle is hein.journals/dtmercyl103 and id is 1 raw text is: The Gales of November Remembered:1 The Edmund Fitzgerald, CulturalHeritage Protection, and Underwater Tombs RYAN M. SEIDEMANN* I. INTRODUCMION Shipwrecks capture the human imagination.2 The popular culture that has evolved from such events as the tragic RMS Titanic and SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinkings3 and the alluring treasure finds of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the SS Brother Jonathan4 contain elements of mystery, harsh environments, and riches. Especially in the cold of the Great Lakes, these sites have become well-preserved time capsules from which interpretations of humanity's seafaring past can 1. GORDON LIGHTFOOT, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, on Summertime Dream (Vinyl Record, Reprise Recs. 1976). * Ryan M. Seidemann earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Florida State University, a master's degree in Anthropology, a Bachelor of Civil Law, a Juris Doctorate at Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in Urban Studies/Urban Anthropology from the University of New Orleans. Dr. Seidemann is a licensed lawyer in Louisiana and Vermont, and he previously served as an Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the Lands & Natural Resources Section of the Louisiana Department of Justice. Dr. Seidemann has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications on human remains, cemeteries, and environmental and mineral law. As the current General Counsel for The Water Institute, Dr. Seidemann specializes in complex interactions of the law and sciences, with a particular focus on disaster response, mortuary archaeology, and historic preservation. Dr. Seidemann also holds active adjunct professor appointments with Arizona State University's School of Human Evolution & Social Change, the University of New Orleans' Departments of Anthropology & Sociology and Planning & Urban Studies, and Southern University's Law Center. All opinions expressed herein are solely those of the Author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of his employers. 2. ROBERT F. MARX, SHIPWRECKS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE: 1492-1825 xi (David McKay Co., Inc., N.Y. 1975). 3. See, e.g., WALTER LORD, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (Penguin Books, 4th ed. 2012) (documenting the Titanic sinking); TITANIC, VHS (Paramount Pictures 1997) (popular Hollywood adaptation of the Titanic sinking); LIGHTFOOT, supra note 1 (folk-rock ballad on the EdmundFitzgeralds sinking). 4. See generally Lawrence D. Bradley, Jr., U.S. Treasure Trove Law, 10-SPG EXPERIENCE 24, 24-28 (2000) (discussing the attraction and discoveries of the Atocha and the Brotherfonathan); see also Treasure Salvors, Inc. v. Unidentified Wrecked and Abandoned Sailing Vessel, 569 F.2d 330, 336-38 (5th Cir. 1978) (discussing the Atocha).