Earlier this week, Tuesday, March 17, the British newspaper The Times published an article about the problems with divers and war graves, written by Fin Kavanagh.
Treasure hunters are making millions of pounds salvaging British wartime shipwrecks amid accusations that they are “desecrating” maritime graves.
More than 40 ships serving as war graves in British waters have been plundered by divers in the past five years.
A freedom of information request to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency revealed that more than 400 relics had been plundered from merchant navy war graves since 2014, ranging from gold coins and artillery shells to false teeth.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission said it was “extremely concerned” by the findings, adding that it “deplores any act that would desecrate the memory or the physical remains of those who made such a supreme sacrifice”.
Read the full article on the website of The Times.