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| Welsh Wrecks Project | |
|---|---|
| Name | Welsh Wrecks Project |
| Type | Charitable organisation |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Location | Wales |
| Fields | Maritime archaeology, heritage conservation, public outreach |
Welsh Wrecks Project is a charitable maritime heritage organisation dedicated to the identification, documentation, protection, and public interpretation of shipwrecks and submerged cultural heritage around the coasts of Wales. The project operates at the intersection of underwater archaeology, conservation science, and community archaeology, collaborating with universities, museums, archive services, and diving organisations to investigate wreck sites, promote legal protection, and foster public engagement.
The project documents shipwrecks ranging from Roman Britain and Viking Age contacts through Age of Sail commerce, Napoleonic Wars convoys, Crimean War era losses, First World War and Second World War sinkings to Cold War and modern merchant losses. Core partners and stakeholders include institutions such as the National Museum Cardiff, Amgueddfa Cymru, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, and universities like Bangor University, Cardiff University, Swansea University, and University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The initiative engages with professional bodies and registries including the Marine Conservation Society, RCAHMW, Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology, and archives such as the National Library of Wales and Cadw.
The project emerged from collaborations among maritime archaeologists, volunteer divers, and museum curators responding to discoveries in the 2000s and 2010s along Welsh coasts near places like Cardiff Bay, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Anglesey, Gower Peninsula, and Conwy Bay. Key early influences included seminal work by figures and organisations associated with Wessex Archaeology, Cotswold Archaeology, and research frameworks developed in conjunction with EU-funded programmes such as Horizon 2020 precursors and regional heritage initiatives. Historic events and wrecks that shaped the agenda invoke links to Spanish Armada, Baltic convoys, Atlantic convoys (World War II), and transatlantic trade networks tied to ports like Liverpool, Bristol, Le Havre, and Dublin.
Primary objectives are the systematic survey, recording, assessment of significance, and dissemination of maritime archaeological sites off the Welsh coastline. Activities span remote sensing surveys using technology pioneered by organisations like National Oceanography Centre and methods developed in projects with Historic England, data curation with the UK Hydrographic Office, artefact conservation in collaboration with conservation units at Amgueddfa Cymru and similar museums, and public interpretation through exhibitions at venues such as St Fagans National Museum of History and outreach with the Royal Naval Museum.
Investigations have documented wrecks with associations to events and vessels connected to HMS Royal Oak (1664), HMS Victory (1744), HMS Hood, merchant losses tied to companies like the East India Company, and cargoes reflecting links to Atlantic slave trade routes and industrial-era coal and steel shipping related to Birmingham, Cardiff Docks, and Swansea. The project has recorded wrecks with armaments and timber construction comparable to examples studied at Mary Rose Museum, HMS Belfast, and sites investigated by Wreckwatch and Submerged Landscapes Project. Collaborative projects have included surveys linking to research strands associated with Crowland Abbey archival studies, Maritime Archaeology Trust fieldwork methodologies, and comparative analyses with Mediterranean wrecks curated by institutions such as Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid).
Fieldwork employs geophysical techniques including multibeam echosounder work used by the National Oceanography Centre, side-scan sonar commonly deployed by commercial contractors and academic teams from University of Southampton, and magnetometer surveys paralleling protocols from English Heritage projects. Diver-based recording adheres to standards established by the Institute for Archaeologists and links with training programmes offered by bodies like BSAC and HMS Challenger Society. Artefact conservation follows procedures developed at laboratories such as those at The British Museum, National Museums Liverpool, and university conservation departments in Leicester and Glasgow.
The project partners with a wide range of organisations: national and regional museums including National Maritime Museum, National Museums Scotland, and local heritage centres in Pembroke Dock and Holyhead; academic partners such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Portsmouth, and University College London for interdisciplinary research; and voluntary groups like UK Diving clubs, Nautical Archaeology Society, Young Archaeologists' Club, and civic societies. Outreach projects include school programmes linked to curricula in collaboration with Estyn, public talks at venues like Cardiff University Students' Union and festivals such as the Pembrokeshire Fish Week and Swansea International Festival.
Work by the project contributes to designation processes under protective regimes similar to those managed by Cadw, Historic England, and provides input for inventories maintained by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Conservation outcomes involve long-term curation at institutions such as Amgueddfa Cymru and loan exhibits to organisations like National Museum of the Royal Navy. Legal and ethical considerations intersect with legislation and frameworks influenced by treaties and conventions comparable to UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and national protection systems, engaging stakeholders including maritime insurers, port authorities in Cardiff, Swansea Bay, and international researchers from International Council on Monuments and Sites.
Category:Maritime archaeology Category:Welsh heritage