Derelict, a term in English law, signifying anything forsaken or left unoccupied, or wilfully cast away. So where the sea has receded from the shore, the land thus left uncovered is styled derelict. If the sea has in such case receded suddenly, the land becomes the property of the crown, but if gradually and imperceptibly, the gain goes to the owner of the adjacent lands.
A ship which has been wrecked is styled derelict, and this is the common use of the term. But it is necessary that the master and crew shall have abandoned the ship, without hope of recovery. The mere quitting of a ship for the purpose of procuring assistance from the shore, or other temporary cause, with the intention of returning to her again, does not make her derelict. When abandonment has occurred, the first-comers are entitled to take temporary possession of the ship, and to claim salvage, either from the owners, the lord of the manor, or other person having right to wrecks unclaimed by the owners, or in the event of no claim from the crown. See SALVAGE, WRECK.