Theft or Salvage?

[wildcat45]

The brief story, a beached boat gets raided and stripped by thieves.
http://www.mouthofthetyne.com/2014/06/17/beached-b...

Looks like theft to me, but could an abandoned beached boat be fair game under salvage rules?

Or are those rules just a myth from popular culture?

[wildcat45]

Thanks for the info.