An Act to authorize the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force to settle, pay, adjust, and compromise certain claims for damages and for salvage and towage and to execute releases, certifications, and reports with respect thereto, and for other purposes
PL 82-186 (H.R.1764), enacted 10/20/1951

572 
PUBLIC LAW 186—OCT. 20, 1951 
[65 STAT. 
Acceptance of con-
tributions. 
any adjoining upland owner, issue a quitclaim deed to the owners of 
adjoining upland for the lands between the original meander line and 
the shore line, without making a survey. 
SEC. 4. For the benefits of this Act the ownership of such adjoining 
uplands shall be determined as of the date of October 2, 1946. Any 
adjoining upland owner receiving a conveyance of lands under the 
provisions of this Act, who shall have prior to receipt of such con-
veyance conveyed or contracted to convey any part of such lands, shall 
through any conveyance made under this Act take title in trust for 
any such grantees and their successors in interest. 
SEC. 5. In order to facilitate prompt execution of the investigations, 
examinations, surveys, or other action which may be necessary to carry 
out the provisions of this Act, the Secretary may accept contributions 
to be used for such purpose. 
Approved October 20, 1951. 
October 20,1951 
[H. R. 1764] 
Public Law 186 
CHAPTER 524 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force to settle, pay, adjust, 
and compromise certain claims for damages and for salvage and towage and 
to execute releases, certifications, and reports with respect thereto, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
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^ United States of Amerioa in Congress assembled, That the Secretaries 
Certain maritime of the Army and Air Force, under the direction of the Secretary of 
'''^™^" 
Defense, are hereby authorized to consider, ascertain, adjust, deter-
mine, compromise, or settle claims for damages caused by vessels of 
or in the service of their respective departments, and for compensation 
for towage and salvage services, including contract salvage, rendered 
to such vessels, and to pay the amount of any claims so determined, 
compromised, or settled, and upon acceptance of such payment by the 
claimant, and not until then, such determination, settlement, or com-
promise of such claim shall be final and conclusive for all purposes, 
any law to the contrary notwithstanding: Provided, That this section, 
as respects the determination, compromise, settlement, and payment 
of claims, shall be supplementary to, and not in lieu of, all other 
provisions of law authorizing consideration, adjustment, determina-
autiwrized''^^**""^ ^^^^"i Settlement, and payment of claims: Provided further. That all 
payments of claims made under this section shall be made out of 
applicable appropriations which are hereby authorized: And 
provided 
further, That the payment of any claim on which a net amount exceed-
ing $500,000 is determined to be due from the United States, or which 
is compromised or settled at a net amount exceeding $500,000 payable 
by the United States, shall not be authorized by this section, and all 
claims determined, compromised, or settled hereunder at a net amount 
exceeding $500,000 payable by the United States shall be certified by 
the Secretary concerned to the Congress. 
SEC. 2. The Secretaries of the Army and Air Force, under the direc-
tion of the Secretary of Defense, are hereby authorized to consider, 
ascertain, adjust, determine, compromise, or settle claims for damage 
cognizable in admiralty in a district court of the United States and 
all claims for damage caused by a vessel or floating object to property 
Limitation of au 
thority. 
Damage claims 
favor of U. S. 
65 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 186—OCT. 20, 1951 
573 
of the United States under the jurisdiction of their respective depart-
ments or property for which their respective departments may have 
assumed, by contract or otherwise, any obligation to respond for 
damage thereto. The Secretaries of the Army and Air Force, for 
their respective departments, are further authorized to receive in pay-
ment of any such claim the amount due the United States pursuant 
to determination, compromise, or settlement as herein authorized and, 
upon acceptance of such payment but not until then, such determina-
tion, settlement, or compromise of such claim shall be final and con-
clusive for all purposes, any law to the contrary notwithstanding. 
All such payments shall be covered into the Treasury of the United 
States as miscellaneous receipts. The Secretary concerned is author-
ized to execute on behalf of the United States and to deliver in 
exchange for such payment a full release of such claim: Provided^ 
That this section, as respects the determination, compromise, settle-
ment, and payment of claims, shall be supplementary to, and not in 
lieu of, all other provisions of law authorizing the determination, 
compromise, or settlement of claims for damage to property herein-
above described: Provided further^ That no settlement or compromise 
where there is involved a payment in the net amount of over $500,000 
shall be authorized by this section. 
SEC. 3. The Secretaries of the Army and Air Force, under the direc-
tion of the Secretary of Defense, are hereby authorized to consider, 
ascertain, adjust, determine, compromise, or settle any claim for salvage 
services rendered by their respective departments to any vessel: Pro-
vided^ That all moneys received by the respective departments for 
salvage services rendered shall be covered into the Treasury as 
miscellaneous receipts. 
SEC, 4. Within twenty days after payment of any claim determined, 
compromised, or settled under section 1 of this Act at a net amount 
exceeding $3,000 payable by the United States or within twenty days 
after receipt of payment or settlement of any claim under section 2 
or section 3 of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall file reports with 
the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives setting forth the nature of the claim, the vessel or vessels 
involved, the amount paid or received with respect thereto, the basis 
of the determination, compromise, or settlement and other pertinent 
facts: Provided, That during any war the reports required under this 
section may omit any fact or facts disclosure of which, in the opinion 
of the Secretary concerned, would be prejudicial to the national 
security. 
SEC. 5. Subject to the proviso of section 4 hereof, the Secretaries of 
the Army and Air Force shall report to the Congress, at each session 
thereof, all amounts paid by their respective departments or received 
by their respective departments under this Act. 
SEC. 6. When the net amount paid or received in settlement does not 
exceed $1,000 the authority of the Secretary of the Army or Secretary 
of the Air Force, as set forth in sections 1 and 2 hereof, may be exer-
cised by such person or persons in the military department concerned 
as the Secretary thereof may designate. 
SEC. 7. The provisions of this Act shall not apply with respect to 
any claim as to which a suit has been filed by or against the United 
States and is pending at the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Approved October 20, 1951. 
R e c e i p t of pay-
ments. 
Release of claim. 
Limitation of au-
thority. 
Salvage claims in 
favor of U. S. 
R e p o r t s to Con-
Omissions for secur-
ity purposes. 
Periodic reports to 
Congress. 
Delegation of au-
thority. 
Nonapplicability of 
Act.