Tirpitz relics?

[Bonecollector]

Hi. There is a well know relic dealer selling Tirpitz relics that were said to have been recovered by a BSAC diver called Peter Cornish. I can't find anything much about Peter Cornish and nothing on relics that he apparently recovered. Does anyone have any info regarding his 1974 dive and any finds? Many thanks

[Adrian]

From what I understand the relics were recovered during a dive for a British mini sub that was used to attack Tirpitz. I can't tell you whether any relics are from the Tirpitz or not. I've seen them for sale over the years and unless there is something to directly link them to the ship, they could be any bits dredged up from the sea bed or found on any coast at low tide.

[Bonecollector]

Many thanks Adrian that's what I was thinking. I would have thought that if they brought up relics then this would have been documented. I can't find anything regarding the heaps of stuff found either side of Tirpitz where this stuff was said to be found either. I'm sure that stuff was recovered and that there is still plenty down there but I cant find anything to prove that these were from the site.

[Adrian]

I had a quick Google, I could find glass bottles and some scrap metal under the guise of mess tins.
This is where the old adage 'buy the item, not the story' is worth remembering.
There is no proof these mess tins came from the Tirpitz, they're just badly damaged mess tins.
Same with the bottles, they're just glass bottles the seller has said came from the wreck site.
Maybe they did but how does anyone know where they actually came from?

[Bonecollector]

Yes agreed. They are expensive at about £7ish per item and has you say there is no way of proving where they actually came from unless you find them yourself. I was also thinking that they recovered part of the mini sub and donated to a museum, so why not these items too?

[paulscoot]

Intresting, I remember a few years back reading somewhere maybe on this forum ,(i cant remember ) about a small hoard of high seas fleet & other decorations that were retrieved from the wreck. Regards Paul

[Bonecollector]

Hi Paul, yes I read that somewhere. It's difficult with the stuff on this particular site as there is nothing spectacular, just everyday items such as bottles and personal stuff which could come from anywhere including the Tirpitz. But when you try and research the story or the diver you come to a dead end.

[Verikauha]

Tirpitz sunk in harbor, was salvaged between 1948-57 and was sold as scrap metal. I wonder if there is anything noteworthy left in the seabed after all these years.

Cruiser Blücher is totally different story, sunk in 64 meters at Oslofjord, and is declared grave site of its crew.
Best dive video I know it, boots and coats (time 3.25) still lying where they got left https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YmohwkJhRE

Relic collecting from sunken ships can be considered grave robbery by law.

[Bonecollector]

Thanks interesting video. It's amazing what still survives. It's criminal what they did with the Tirpitz. Apparently when they were salvaging the ship, any bodies found were dumped in the sea ( how true that it's I don't know). 900+ plus people died on board. There is still stuff on the sea bed apparently.

[Bonecollector]

Not long ago there was a shot glass which sold for £75.00 on that site. that's a lot of money to spend on something that may or may not have been recovered from the Tirpitz in 1974. The question that I'm interested in answering is would members of BSAC remove items from this wreck if it was a grave site which it was, and why wasn't the Tirpitz respected as such? At the end of the war local people were probably very bitter towards the Germans so lack of respect was probably common, but what about 1974 and a group of trained divers, would they have brought it to the surface and why didn't they give these items to the museum where the mini sub ended up?