1. WW1-Era Shipwrecks To Receive Protection
July 28th
1914 was a day that changed the world forever.
A global war was declared that would last
for four long, bloody years and would cost
Humanity millions of lives. Although the
images of the gruelling, inhuman trench
warfare that was waged in France are the
perhaps most indelible from the conflict, it
should also be remembered that an awful
amount of lives were also lost at sea.
Britain alone lost over a thousand vessels
from 1914 – 1919, together with about
89,300 sailors and merchant navy
personnel. Germany lost hundreds of warships, as well as about 35,000 sailors. In addition, civilians
were also caught in the ocean-going crossfire, as a German submarine sank the liner Lusitania in
1915, killing almost 2000 people in the process.
As we approach the centenary of the First World War, the seafloors are littered with the stark,
skeletal remains of vessels leftover from this conflict. In recent years, however, these ruined ships
have come under an increased level of threat from salvage teams, looters and profiteers, many of
whom are intent on destroying the wrecks outright.
Shipwrecks such as those left over from the First World War, are a target for two main reasons.
Firstly, they can be commercially exploited for scrap metals (and other artefacts) and secondly,
fishing trawlers dredging the ocean depths in search of deep-sea fish can impact the ships,
destroying them altogether.
In 2011 alone, three British cruisers, the final resting place of about 1,500 sailors altogether, were
completely destroyed because copper and bronze had reached sufficiently high prices as to make
such destructive salvage exercises profitable.
However, because the 100th
anniversary of World War One begins this year, more and more of these
ships will be protected by Unesco’s 2001 ‘Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural
Heritage’, an agreement that extends International protection to shipwrecks over 100 years old.
Many people worry that these laws will prove difficult to enforce, however. Others still are worried
that this move will increase the destruction of shipwrecks from more recent times, in particular,
vessels from World War Two (1939 – 1945), before they come under Unesco’s protection.
Today, historians are attempting to use the centenary of the First World War as a way to educate
people about the history and legacy of the conflict, as well as to demonstrate the cultural and
historical importance of these undersea war graves. Many, including this writer, feel that such sites
are deserving of our respect and reverence.
2. Shipwrecks also provide a very good habitat for local marine life and can even form the basis for
coral reefs (if left undisturbed for long enough). These vessels are also studied for scientific interest,
with experiments carried out on everything from metal erosion to marine biology.
At the time of writing, the British Government has failed to sign the convention.
SOURCES
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28056244
