This New York Times OpEd article discusses the idea of national governments using shipwrecks as excuses for claiming land and sea rights. The concept of using archaeology as a means of tying current regimes to past cultures is not new. Mussolini conducted archaeological digs in Italy searching for Roman sites that he believed would bind the disparate peoples of Italy into one nation, the descendants of the Roman Empire. He even went so far as to drain lake Nemi to recover Caligula’s luxurious party barges.

When put in proper historical context the Times article has some merit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/19/opinion/could-shipwrecks-lead-the-worl...