Wreckages

General Information

North Sea

Baltic Sea

Clyde Marine Region

Adriatic Sea

Wreckages

Layer Info
Category	Activities
Sub-category	Shipping

Description

Wrecks

There are valuable archaeological resources in some places beneath the sea waves. For example, thousands of wrecks of ships and planes lie like time capsules on the sea bed. Some are little remains of wrecks, while others are still virtually intact. We do not know the precise location of some, while we are entirely unaware of the existence of others.

Also, wrecks and obstructions do not just lie on the seabed. Tidal currents cause turbulences that pull grinding channels in the seabed around a wreck. As a result, a wreck can slip away and become completely buried by the sandy seabed over the years.

Photo credits: Photograph by J. Benjamin (WA Coastal & Marine), © Copyright: Historic Environment Scotland.

Importance of wrecks

Every wreck is unique and tells its own story. Many ships have sunk over the centuries, from prehistoric dugout canoes to Viking ships, from Dutch East India Company ships to steamships, from submarines to patrol boats, and from fishing boats to more recently lost freighters. Together, these wrecks give us an insight into the maritime history, which gives them great cultural importance.

Wrecks are also biodiversity hotspots, home to entirely different plants and creatures than the surrounding sea bed. This also makes wrecks interesting for fishermen and divers. Not every wreck is ecologically valuable. This depends on various factors, including the age of the wreck, the material in the wreck and its distance from the coast.

MSP Challenge

The layer wrecks gives a general overview of archaeological remains in a sea region. An unknown number of them consists of archaeological remains, including old shipwrecks and settlements. Another part consists of lost cargo, sunken ships and ship components.

Return to shipping.

Types

None

Metadata

Data Source

Enter data source for North Sea here.

Original Title

Enter name of the layer at the North Sea source.

Description

Enter the description of the North Sea dataset here.

Creation Date

yyyy-mm-dd North Sea

Methodology

Enter here how the layer was prepared to be integrated into the MSP Challenge North Sea Edition.

Types

Baltic Sea types here

Metadata

Data Source

Enter data source for Baltic Sea here.

Original Title

Enter name of the layer at the Baltic Sea source.

Description

Enter the description of the Baltic Sea dataset here.

Creation Date

yyyy-mm-dd Baltic Sea

Methodology

Enter here how the layer was prepared to be integrated into the MSP Challenge Baltic Sea Edition.

Types

None

Metadata

Data Source

Enter data source for Clyde Marine Region here.

Original Title

Enter name of the layer at the source.

Description

Enter the description of the Clyde Marine Region dataset here.

Creation Date

yyyy-mm-dd Clyde Marine Region

Methodology

Enter here how the layer was prepared to be integrated into the MSP Challenge.

Types

Adriatic Sea types here

Metadata

Data Source

Enter data source for Adriatic Sea here.

Original Title

Enter name of the layer at the Adriatic Sea source.

Description

Enter the description of the Adriatic Sea dataset here.

Creation Date

yyyy-mm-dd Adriatic Sea

Methodology

Enter here how the layer was prepared to be integrated into the MSP Challenge Adriatic Sea Edition.