Who We Are
About Atlantic Wreck Salvage and D/V Tenacious
Atlantic Wreck Salvage (AWS) is a New Jersey-based company that conducts operations in the North Atlantic. D/V Tenacious is the vessel from which AWS’ crew locates, dives, and salvages shipwrecks. D/V Tenacious and her crew have discovered numerous shipwrecks in the waters off the coast of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, the most celebrated of which is U-550, the last German U-boat known to rest in diveable North Atlantic waters. D/V Tenacious and her expeditions have been chronicled in the books “Where Divers Dare: The Hunt for the Last U- boat,” “Dangerous Shallows, In Search of the Ghost Ships of Cape Cod,” and in dive publications worldwide. The vessel is owned by Atlantic Wreck Salvage, L.L.C. and operated by Joe Mazraani and Jennifer Sellitti. When they are not at sea Joe and Jennifer work as criminal defense attorneys in New Jersey.
Joe Mazraani
Since childhood, Joe Mazraani has been fascinated by the sea, its creatures and the treasure that is the underwater world. Growing up in Lebanon, Joe spent his summers by the Mediterranean. He immigrated to the U.S. at age 15 and became a certified diver in the mid-90s. Joe quickly took to diving sunken wrecks off the Northeast U.S. coast and instantly developed an obsession with exploring the sunken hulks that litter the approaches to New York Harbor.
Shipwreck exploration is a way of life for Joe. He is president of Atlantic Wreck Salvage and operates the dive vessel Tenacious, which was specifically acquired and outfitted to accomplish several projects, including locating and exploring U-550 and other deep, uncharted wrecks in the North Atlantic. He has participated in the discovery of numerous shipwrecks on the Eastern seaboard. Joe leads expeditions to the famed Italian liner SS Andrea Doria and has dived the wrecks of HMHS Britannic, sister ship of Titanic, and RMS Lusitania. He is credited with locating Britannic’s bell on the May 2019 Expedition to the wreck.
A criminal defense attorney by trade, Joe is also a U.S.C.G. licensed captain. In March of 2020, he was inducted as an associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers.
Jennifer Sellitti
Jennifer Sellitti is the Marketing Director of Atlantic Wreck Salvage and a regular crew member aboard D/V Tenacious. Jennifer manages topside operations during dive expeditions, conducts historical research on both the ships Tenacious dives and ships that are the subject of new projects for the team, and leads the team’s efforts to educate the public about the importance of shipwreck discovery and salvage. Jennifer has participated in the discovery of new shipwrecks and supports regular expeditions to dive sites off the Eastern seaboard. She has provided surface support on international expeditions to HMHS Britannic and RMS Lusitania. Jennifer is a diver and a U.S.C.G. licensed ship captain. She is a trustee of the New Jersey Maritime Museum. When she is not at sea, she works as a criminal defense attorney.
OUR TEAM
Atlantic Wreck Salvage works with a team of divers whose experience and expertise span decades. Our divers are certified in advanced technical and mixed gas diving. Many are also certified commercial divers with whom we partner when the job requires it.
