Flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict

In maritime law, flotsam, jetsam, lagan, and derelict are terms for various types of property lost or abandoned at sea.

[2] A wreck is categorized as property belonging to no apparent owner that either sinks to the seabed or floats on the surface of the water, whether it be intentionally cast overboard or as the result of an accident.

The term encompasses the hull of the vessel and its fixtures as well as any other form of object on board, such as cargo and stores, and personal effects of the crew and passengers.

The law of salvage has its origins in the Roman practice of negotiorum gestio, which dictated that one who preserved or improved upon the property of another was owed compensation from the owner, even if the service was not requested by the latter.

The laws have evolved since negotiorum gestio, and today, in the United States, a salvor who voluntarily brings the goods back into port may legally lay claim to them, or deliver them to a marshal, in return for a reward.

[5] Per maritime law, one who discovers these artifacts is not required to return them to their rightful owner except in the case where the latter makes a proper claim.

[9] Lagan /ˈlæɡən/ (also called "ligan") are goods cast overboard and heavy enough to sink to the ocean floor, but linked to a floating marker, such as a buoy or cork, so that they can be found again by the person who marked the item.

[6] Derelict can refer to goods that have sunk to the ocean floor, relinquished willingly or forcefully by its owner, and thus abandoned, but which no one has any hope of reclaiming.