Wreck Diving Heritage
F2. Maritime Culture, Heritage, Archaeology, Art and MuseumsDefinition
Sport heritage including HMS Royal Oak war grave.
The recreational and survey diving of historic shipwrecks, governed by heritage and war-grave protections that limit access to certain sites. In the UK, the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 designates archaeologically important wrecks, and the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 protects service losses. HMS Royal Oak, sunk in Scapa Flow on 14 October 1939 by U-47 with the loss of 835 men, is a designated war grave on which diving was banned in 2002. The Scapa Flow scuttled German High Seas Fleet wrecks remain divable.
Source: HMS Royal Oak, sunk Scapa Flow 14 October 1939 by U-47; Protection of Military Remains Act 1986; diving banned 2002