Bodies on wrecks.

[shamre]

I have heard from several divers that there are still bodies of crew members located on some of the isle royale shipwrecks. Just wanted to confirm whether this is true or not. Specifically the Kamloops. I would think that someone would recover the bodies to give them a proper burial. Sorry for the morbid topic i just wanted the facts.

[Inspirationdiver]

It's true.

[chrisw]

usually wrecks are considered burial sites so bodies are left unrecovered.

[Freedive WI]

The park service finally did retrieve, and bury, the captain off of the Emporer a few years ago.

Now that tech diving and trimix, have become, realtively, commonplace they might start thinking about that on the Kamloops as well.

Jon

[FMT]

As I understand it, the body that was in the Emperor was removed because this wreck is closer to recreational depths (thereby more accessible to more people) and people were F'ing with it. As Jon says this type of diver action is now a lot more possible with the Kamloops because of the rise in technical diving with mixed gas. "Hey let's get a picture of me posing with Whitey. It'll be a goof."
T

[LKunze]

Pretty sad. Does the body stay in the same spot and out of the path of divers though or does it move around from current or diver wake from finning?

[Inspirationdiver]

The one in the engine room is behind a catwalk, not really any current in there.

[igotoofar]

If I was down on a wreck and saw a body, I would certainly take a picture. I wouldn't disturb the body, but I would look, maybe even get in the picture. I have seen many pictures of skulls at Truck. I don't see how this would be different.

That being said, I don't see any problems with removing the body and burying/cremating it. When an airplane crashes we don't leave the bodies in the wreckage and declare it a burial tomb.

[shamre]

This is kind of a touchy issue. With the cold water of the great lakes alot of the bodies stay preserved and do not decompose like they would in the ocean. There is also the possibility of family of the deceased still alive who may object to divers disturbing the underwater grave. I.E. The fitz.....

Personally i would probably still take a picture but i would not disturb the body.

[Punky]

Question; Is part of the reason the bodies don't decompose a lack of air in the water at the depths these bodies are located?
If so, could the increasing number of divers reaching these depths and introducing more air through exhalation into the water increase the possibility of the bodies starting to decompose, or are the temps cold enough to prevent this?