Divers wanted to save UK maritime heritage

British divers wanted to save maritime heritage

One of the UK’s most prestigious heritage bodies are asking divers to help conserve some of the country’s oldest and most historically important shipwrecks.

English Heritage are urging divers to volunteer their time and skills to help in efforts to conserve the historical underwater sites.

English Heritage have conducted research of into the current state of ‘at risk’ wrecks. The organisation’s findings have shown ten of the UK’s 45 protected shipwrecks are at risk through decay, neglect and vandalism.

UK wreck sites under concern include:

•    Salcombe Cannon underwater site, Devon
•    warship Hazardous, Bracklesham Bay
•    warship Coronation, Cornwall
•    Iona II, north Devon

This is the first occasion that UK shipwrecks have been assessed like historic buildings. English Heritage experts claim England is the only European country to have in-depth knowledge of the state of its maritime heritage.

[source: Dive Magazine]