Explore England's Protected Wrecks
Take virtual tours or physical dive trails of protected wrecks
The 57 protected wrecks off England are historic shipwreck sites of the highest significance. Very few of these wrecks lie above water. Marine archaeology usually lies deep beneath the waves and out of reach for most people.
To enable more people to access our submerged cultural heritage Historic England has supported the creation of 6 physical dive trails, which allow divers to access the wrecks on the seabed, and 17 virtual dive trails, which allow everyone to explore the wrecks online. More will be added in the future.
Explore the map
The sites in this map are all designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 . Click on an image or a pin on the interactive map to find out more about the protected wreck.
London
Stirling Castle
Rooswijk
SM U-8
Norman's Bay
Holland No. 5
HMS/m A1
HMS Invincible
Thorness Bay
HMT Arfon
Chesil Beach Cannon Site
Coronation (offshore)
Wheel Wreck
Bartholomew Ledges
Association
Tearing Ledge
HMS Colossus
Iona II
London
The London blew up on passage from Chatham in March 1665. It is located in a highly tidal environment with extremely poor visibility on the edge of a shipping channel.
Stirling Castle
The 70-gun warship Stirling Castle foundered after grounding on the Goodwin Sands during the Great Storm of November 1703.
Rooswijk
The Rooswijk was a ship of the Dutch East India Company [Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) in Dutch], lost on the Goodwin Sands in 1740.
SM U-8
The U-8 was the first U-Boat victim of the Dover Patrol and is thus the first confirmed U-boat casualty of the First World War in English territorial waters.
Norman's Bay
The Norman's Bay wreck contains a cluster of at least 51 iron guns, timber hull structure and various other artefacts including a large anchor on top of a ballast mound.
Holland No. 5
The Holland No. 5 was the first commissioned submarine in the Royal Navy and was lost under tow in 1912. It is the only surviving example of this type of vessel on the seabed anywhere in the world.
HMS/m A1
The A1 was the first British designed and built submarine used by the Royal Navy. It was lost off Selsey Bill during trials in 1911. Thankfully there were no crew aboard; the A1 was operating under automatic pilot, as a submerged target.
HMS Invincible
HMS Invincible was lost in the Solent in 1758. Originally French and captured by the British Navy in 1747, its design would influence the future design of British naval vessels.
Thorness Bay
Located in shallow water off the Isle of Wight, the Thorness Bay wreck site offers an almost complete assemblage of a mid- to late-19th century merchant sailing ship.
HMT Arfon
The Arfon is an exceptionally well preserved armed trawler dating from the First World War. It was mined off St Alban’s Head in 1917.
Chesil Beach Cannon Site
The Chesil Beach Cannon Site consists of two discrete clusters of ships’ guns located close to Chesil Beach. The exact identities of the wrecks are unknown.
Coronation (offshore)
The Coronation was a 90-gun 'Second Rate' built in 1685, which saw defeat at the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690 before foundering in a strong gale whilst patrolling for the French fleet off Plymouth in 1691. The rating system was used by the Royal Navy to categorise warships. A Second Rate was a ship of the line which carried 90-98 guns, on three gun decks. They were smaller than the First Rates, which also had three decks, but carried more guns.
Wheel Wreck
The Wheel Wreck is a large mound of cargo, made up of mining equipment that is believed to date to the end of the eighteenth century.
Bartholomew Ledges
The protected wreck on the Bartholomew Ledges dates to the second half of the 16th century and includes anchors, swivel gun, iron guns and a number of other artefacts.
Association
The Association was part of the fleet commanded by Admiral Sir Cloudesly Shovell that saw a massive loss in 1707. A miscalculation of their position led to four ships wrecking on the Western Rocks in Scilly, with the loss of over 1,400 men.
Tearing Ledge
The Tearing Ledge site is the wreck of a ship from Sir Cloudesly Shovell's 1707 fleet. Archaeologists believe it to be the Eagle following the discovery of a silver spoon marked with the initials of the ship's Captain.
HMS Colossus
The Colossus was a 74-gun warship wrecked in 1798.
Iona II
The Iona II was a paddle steamer which foundered off the east coast of Lundy. At the time there was speculation that the vessel was being used as a gun-runner for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
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