Sir, Your report (“Armed treasure gang arrested”, Jan 27) has highlighted the row that has re-erupted over the project to recover and sell off treasure from HMS Sussex. What the report does not mention is that the UK Ministry of Defence is party to the profit-sharing salvage contract, although undertaking archaeological investigations to recover cultural property for commercial sale is contrary to a Council of Europe convention that both the British and Spanish governments have ratified.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Finance Ministry has taken possession of a large hoard of silver ingots recovered from the Rooswijk, an 18th-century wreck on the Goodwin Sands, which may be sold. Despite it being in UK territorial waters, commercial confidentiality meant that the UK heritage authorities were given no opportunity to consider protecting the wreck or archaeologically vet the recovery procedures.
In a third current case, the Ministry of Defence has expressed no interest in protecting the wreck of HMS Fantome, sunk in 1814 off the Canadian coast, from treasure hunting, and neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have made any move to safeguard it.
In contrast to this, the UK Government, through the Department for Transport, has signed an international treaty to protect the wreck of the Titanic and is engaged in other bilateral agreements to protect historic wrecks. And not before time, the Government is reviewing the whole maritime heritage protection regime, including how it relates to salvage.
Britain used to be a leading light in maritime heritage. Now the competing interests of different departments have established a state of policy confusion that is eroding the UK’s international reputation. The UK has a great worldwide maritime heritage; are we going to protect it or just sell it off to the highest bidder?
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GEORGE LAMBRICK
Chairman,
Nautical Archaeology Society
ROBERT YORKE
Chairman, Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee
MIKE HEYWORTH
Director, Council for British Archaeology
DAVID GAIMSTER
General Secretary, Society of Antiquaries of London