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There are currently 57 nationally important shipwrecks in English waters, spanning the Bronze Age to the 20th century, designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 – including the remains of HMS Invincible (pictured here), a 74-gun warship that was wrecked in 1758 after hitting a sandbank in the East Solent. Now wreck sites are to be further safeguarded thanks to new guidance that has recently been launched by Historic England in partnership with the University of Plymouth’s School of Law, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The Common Enforcement Manual for Heritage Crime at Sea will cover any criminality directed towards maritime heritage in English waters, whether or not sites are currently protected by legislation, and will make it easier for law enforcement agencies to detect and act quickly on illegal activity. It is the first resource to bring together all relevant heritage law, enforcement powers, and standard operating procedures to provide law enforcement with the best tools available to stop and prevent future marine heritage crime.
This protocol comes in the wake of a series of prosecutions of individuals and companies who caused irreparable damage to historic shipwreck sites across UK waters. For example, in May 2016 the Dutch company Friendship Offshore BV was convicted of unlicensed salvage operations on a sunken merchant vessel, the SS Harrovian, near the Isles of Scilly, while in January 2017 two divers from East Sussex were convicted of stealing copper from the engine room of HMS Hermes, a converted cruiser sunk by a German U-boat in the Dover Strait in October 1914.
Mark Harrison, Historic England’s Head of Heritage Crime, said: ‘Responding to heritage crime at sea requires swift action, clear procedures, and the secure preservation of evidence. By strengthening awareness and coordination among the law enforcement agencies patrolling England’s waters, we are enhancing our collective ability to identify offenders, secure crime scenes, and protect historic wreck sites. This sends a clear message that criminal activity will not be tolerated.’
For more information, see https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/common-enforcement-manual-heritage-crime-sea.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: Michael Pitts
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