Heritage at sea: proposals for the better protection of British archaeological sites underwater

Abstract

The protection of archaeological sites on land and underwaterArchaeological sites underwater in the UK are in urgent need of better protection. The present legislation protects only a handful of sites, and serves unintentionally to encourage the dispersal and sale of historic artefacts from underwater sites. The principle underlying the proposals set out in this paper is that archaeological sites of national importance underwater should receive no less protection than those on land.Current practice for the care of archaeological sites on land has evolved over a hundred years, since the Ancient Monuments Act of 1882. The situation underwater is very different. Special protective legislation, which goes back only to the 1973 Protection of Wrecks Act, is hampered by the absence of a system for the identification, characterization, and charting of historic wreck sites of national importance, and for securing their preservation. Moreover, underwater sites other than wrecks are not covered by the Act. Although, under the provisions of the Act, the Secretary of State for Transport is advised by an Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites, there is no executive archaeological agency comparable to those which exist on land to identify sites, to provide advice, and to channel resources for the preservation, management, and recording of underwater sites which are threatened by destruction. An Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU), created in 1986, advises the Department of Transport on a contractual basis; however, its terms of activity are severely limited, and it consists of just one full-time individual and two seasonal staff. Even the means to effect physical protection of sites, other than some marker buoying of wrecks designated under the 1973 Act, do not exist.