Your "hearsay" post can be a bit inflammatory. Can you provide links to articles on this specific subject? Specially since a google search shows multiple ships have been found in Texas.
I agree with Rudy. As much as we all love to gripe about uncle Sam & bureaucracy, yet : Something sounds fishy about the OP's story. Sort of along the lines of "The big bad government stole Dents Run Treasure".
Or another example : I heard the story of a newbie detecting on an east coast beach. He gets a big signal in the sand dunes. Digs down, and encounters wooden slat planks (intertwined with various metal strappings). The newbie is convinced he's found a fabled shipwreck ! And that there is going to be treasure in it ! So he files "treasure trove agreements" with the powers-that-be (whomever administers that particular beach).
As his "pressing issue" winds its way through the bureaucracy (being met with bewildered looks and head scratching at each phase), it finally lands on the desk of a purist archie. Who starts asking questions like "What are these yahoos doing digging around in the sand dunes , disturbing things, and altering cultural heritage ??". So the guy was told "no you can't dig" and "we'll take care of it" and "go away" type of stuff.
Turns out that the planks he hit were NOTHING BUT A BURIED WOODEN WALKWAY PATH that the shifting sands of the dry sand dunes had covered up. Doh ! But the guy would not be convinced that it's not a fabulous treasure. And circulated this story about how he'd gone through all the proper channels of "treasure trove agreement filing", yet been duped out of his "treasure", blah blah
So you'll have to excuse me if your post seems suspicious.
And I heard of another story of some dude in Texas who was doing nothing other than studying google satellite photos, and found something , out in the middle of nowhere, that appeared to be ship-shaped . He was convinced he'd found a pre-historic ship that was way-inland, in the center of Texas. And spent years trying to interest people in going to out to look, dig, "stake claims for treasure", etc.....
