£1.1m grant for WW1 shipwreck exploration

The Maritime Archaeology Trust has been awarded 1.1 million pounds for research into 700 World War 1 era wrecks off the southern UK.

The new project will kick off this Spring and seeks to raise the profile of a currently under-represented aspect of the First World War.

merchant and naval ships, passenger, troop and hospital ships, ports, wharfs and crashed aircraft

While attention is often focused on the Western Front and major naval battles, historic remains from the First World War lie forgotten in and around our seas, rivers and estuaries.

The project coincides with the centenary of the First World War, and over four years will focus on merchant and naval ships, passenger, troop and hospital ships, ports, wharfs and crashed aircraft.

Some sites are official war graves but many are unrecognised and unprotected.

The Maritime Archaeology Trust plans to engage communities and volunteers to improve the research and knowledge of these archaeologically significant sites to feed into local, regional and national historic records.

The information collected by the project will be made widely online and will be turned into an extensive range of educational resources and exhibits to engage the public.

These will include videos, talks and presentations, publications, geocaches and 3D technology to bring underwater history to the surface.

Temporary exhibitions will be staged at venues across all six of England’s southern counties.

Volunteers and young people will take an active role in the project and develop new skills in research and technology whilst learning how our national maritime heritage fits into the global historic picture.

Garry Momber, Director of the Maritime Archaeology Trust said: “These wrecks are subject to corrosion and the impact of our changing seas so it is only a matter of time before many of these sites could become scattered elements on the seabed.

“There is a real risk that knowledge of these wrecks, if not fully researched, could be lost forever. This project is not only timely, but essential to help raise the profile of maritime conflicts in the history books of tomorrow.”

To find out more, take at look the Maritime Archaeology Trust website.