Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 25, 2024

Title 32 - National Defense last revised: Nov 18, 2024
§ 767.3 - Definitions.

Agency means the Department of the Navy.

Artifact means any portion of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft that by itself or through its relationship to another object or assemblage of objects, regardless of age, whether in situ or not, may carry archaeological or historical data that yields or is likely to yield information that contributes to the understanding of culture or human history.

Associated Contents means:

(1) The equipment, cargo, and contents of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft that are within its debris field; and

(2) The remains and personal effects of the crew and passengers of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft that are within its debris field.

Debris field means an area, whether contiguous or non-contiguous, that consists of portions of one or more sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft and associated artifacts distributed due to, or as a consequence of, a wrecking event and post-depositional site formation processes.

Directed at means an intentional or negligent act that disturbs, removes, or injures a craft that the person knew or should have known to be a sunken military craft.

Disturb or disturbance means to affect the physical condition of any portion of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft, alter the position or arrangement of any portion of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft, or influence the wrecksite or its immediate environment in such a way that any portion of a craft's physical condition is affected or its position or arrangement is altered.

Historic in the case of a sunken military craft or a terrestrial military craft means fifty (50) years have elapsed since the date of its loss and/or the craft is listed on, eligible for, or potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Injure or injury means to inflict physical damage on or impair the soundness of any portion of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft.

Permit holder means any person authorized and given the right by the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) to conduct activities authorized under these regulations.

Permitted activity means any activity that is authorized by the NHHC under the regulations in this part.

Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, institution, association; or any other private entity, or any officer, employee, agent, instrumentality, or political subdivision of the United States.

Possession or in possession of means having physical custody or control over any portion of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft.

Remove or removal means to move or relocate any portion of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft by lifting, pulling, pushing, detaching, extracting, or taking away or off.

Respondent means a vessel or person subject to a civil penalty, enforcement costs and/or liability for damages based on an alleged violation of this part or a permit issued under this part.

Secretary means the Secretary of the Navy or his or her designee. The Director of the NHHC is the Secretary's designee for DON sunken military craft and terrestrial military craft management and policy; the permitting of activities that disturb, remove, or injure DON sunken military craft and terrestrial military craft; the permitting of activities that disturb, remove, or injure sunken military craft of other departments, agencies or sovereigns incorporated into the DON permitting program; the initiation of enforcement actions; and, assessment of civil penalties or liability for damages. The Secretary's designee for appeals of Notices of Violations is the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA).

Secretary concerned means:

(1) The Secretary of a military department;

(2) In the case of a Coast Guard sunken military craft, the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating.

Sunken military craft means all or any portion of:

(1) Any sunken warship, naval auxiliary, or other vessel that was owned or operated by a government on military noncommercial service when it sank;

(2) Any sunken military aircraft or military spacecraft that was owned or operated by a government when it sank;

(3) The associated contents of a craft referred to in paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition;

(4) Any craft referred to in paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition which may now be on land or in water, if title thereto has not been abandoned or transferred by the government concerned.

Sunken Military Craft Act refers to the provisions of 10 U.S.C. 113 note; Public Law 108-375, Title XIV, sections 1401 to 1408, Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2094.

Terrestrial military craft means the physical remains of all or any portion of a historic ship, aircraft, spacecraft, or other craft, intact or otherwise, manned or unmanned, along with all associated contents, located on land and under the jurisdiction of the DON. Terrestrial military craft sites are distinguished from sunken military craft by never having sunk in a body of water.

United States Contiguous Zone means the contiguous zone of the United States declared by Presidential Proclamation 7219, dated September 2, 1999. Accordingly, the contiguous zone of the United States extends to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States determined in accordance with international law, but in no case within the territorial sea of another nation.

United States internal waters means all waters of the United States on the landward side of the baseline from which the breadth of the United States territorial sea is measured.

United States sunken military craft means all or any portion of a sunken military craft owned or operated by the United States.

United States territorial sea means the waters of the United States territorial sea claimed by and described in Presidential Proclamation 5928, dated December 27, 1988. Accordingly, the territorial sea of the United States extends to 12 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States determined in accordance with international law.

United States waters means United States internal waters, the United States territorial sea, and the United States contiguous zone.

Wrecksite means the location of a sunken military craft or terrestrial military craft. The craft may be intact, scattered or completely deteriorated, and may presently be on land or in water. The wrecksite includes any physical remains of the craft and all associated contents.

authority: 10 U.S.C. 113 note; Pub. L. 108-375, Title XIV, sections 1401 to 1408, Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2094; 5 U.S.C. 301; 16 U.S.C. 470.
source: 80 FR 52594, Aug. 31, 2015, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 32 CFR 767.3