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The Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (1973 c.33) is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which provides protection for designated wrecks. Section 1 of the act provides for wrecks to be designated because of historical, archaeological or artistic value. Section 2 provides for designation of dangerous sites. Wreck sites must have a known location in order to be designated. Designated wrecks are marked on admiralty charts and their physical location is sometimes marked by means of a buoy (sea mark). Information boards are often provided at nearby launch points on land.

A notice proclaiming the protected status of HMS Hazardous near Portsmouth, England

It is a criminal offence to interfere with a wreck designated under section 1 of the act without a licence. Navigation, angling and bathing are permitted provided this will not interfere with the wreck. A licence is required to dive the wreck site. Separate licences are required for any disturbance, such as recovery of artifacts or Underwater excavation. Anchoring on the wreck site is also not permitted except in accordance with licensed activities. The area designated may extend beyond the visible remains.

Designation and licensing under section 1 of the act is managed by English Heritage, Cadw and Historic Scotland.

The first wreck to be designated was the Cattewater Wreck at Plymouth, in 1973. As of July 2007 there were 60 wreck sites under current protection under section 1 of the act. Two sites that had at some point been designated have subsequently been revoked.

For a complete list see List of designations under the Protection of Wrecks Act.

As of June 2006, only two wrecks are designated as dangerous under section 2 of the act. These are the SS Richard Montgomery (designated in 1973), and the SS Castilian (designated in 1997). Designation provides for an exclusion zone for all activities around the wreck. Diving is strictly prohibited on these dangerous wrecks. Designation and control under section 2 of the act is managed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

A number of wreck sites have been protected as maritime scheduled ancient monuments. These are:

• The remains of the German High Seas Fleet at Gutter Sound in Scapa Flow
• The remains of eight historic fishing vessels in Aberlady Bay
• The Louisa, at Grangetown, Cardiff

All wrecked aircraft and a number of designated military shipwrecks are protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act.

Maritime sites other than wrecks, such as fish traps, may also be protected by scheduling.

• Maritime archaeology
• Archaeology of shipwrecks
• Wreck diving
• List of shipwrecks of the UK
• Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
• List of designations under the Protection of Wrecks Act

• Maritime and Coastguard website information on protected wrecks
• English Heritage Protected Wrecks website information about the protection of wrecks and application for licences in England
• English Heritage Maritime Archaeology Publications for ACHWS annual reports, guidance on historic wrecks and other relevant material
• Cadw website information about the protection of wrecks and other maritime sites in Wales
• Martin, Colin (2004), "Close Encounters of a Licensed Kind", in The Advisory Committee for Historic Wreck Sites Annual Report for 2004[1], pp16-19. This article provides a description of the working of the Act.
• Fenwick, Valerie and Gale, Alison (1998), Historic Shipwrecks, Discovered, Protected and Investigated, Tempus Publishing Limited, ISBN 0-7524-1473-9. This book describes the 47 wrecks designated in the first 25 years of the Act.
• Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Annual Report 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.