6.1 Protection of historic wrecks

With much improved diving technology and the advent of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) that allowed sports divers to access increasing deeper waters beginning in the 1950s, historic wrecks were being found and salvaged.1 The UK was at the forefront of recognising the importance of protecting the historical and archaeological value of many old wrecks. The Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 was one of the first national regimes to specifically address this emerging value of wrecks.