World War I shipwrecks in Irish Waters - management and protection

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

There are some 1,000 wrecks in Irish waters dating to the period of World War I, ranging from merchant, naval and civilian vessels and aircraft. While we know of the horrors of war relating to the conflict on land, far more lives were lost at sea, with many of these wrecks being their final resting places. Much of the naval conflict had been overlooked in Irish history books, but this is changing, with a greater understanding of the historical significance of these events as well as the archaeological importance of these sites. The task of managing and protecting these wrecks falls to the National Monuments Service, but such a task is a collaborative one. The paper will provide an overview of the range and quantity of WWI wrecks in Irish waters and set out the mechanisms that are in place to ensure their preservation for the future.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow