UK (21 Dec 2006) -- Campaigners have warned that a legal loophole is enabling divers to desecrate the war graves of hundreds of British servicemen killed at sea, including those who died on Sir Galahad. Videos and photographs posted on the internet have revealed a growing number of companies are taking divers inside battleships, such as HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. Items taken from the ships have also appeared on eBay and some DVDs have even included footage of human remains. Falklands hero Simon Weston, who suffered severe burns the fire that engulfed the Sir Galahad when it was hit, yesterday called for new international laws to ensure wrecks are given the same respect as war cemeteries. He added that stealing from the wrecks was "deplorable" and akin to grave-robbing. Although HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Repulse and Sir Galahad are designated war graves under the Protection of the Military Remains Act 1986, this act only applies to British citizens. There is no law preventing foreign nationals from diving on wrecks in international waters. Hannah Rickard, whose father survived the sinking of the Prince of Wales, said, "People are in tears about this - it is disgusting. It is obvious from some of the videos and photos circulating that the graves of these men are being disturbed. "If it was British divers doing it, they would be prosecuted. I think the public would be amazed that foreign divers can get away with interfering with maritime war graves simply because they are not British citizens. "The Americans have been very effective in protecting their ships. Our Government should be looking to do the same. Otherwise, where will this end? We already have reports that people may be diving on the Sir Galahad." Mr Weston was serving as a Welsh Guardsman on Sir Galahad when it was bombed by Argentine jets during the Falklands War. The attack killed 50 British servicemen. Yesterday, he said visiting the wrecks was not wrong in itself, as long as they are treated with proper respect - and that they needed official protection. He said, "I would be surprised if people were able to dive on the Galahad. It's so far down and the water is very cold. "But, that being said, to dive and just have a look at these wrecks I don't see as a problem. It's not ghoulish at all. We have battlefields that we go to in this country and the Tower of London where lots of people died. "But these wrecks need to be treated with the respect of a military cemetery. "And there is a problem when you start to take away artefacts. These are war graves. We would be appalled if someone were to do the same in a war cemetery. "And it's the same with plundering a ship. It's completely wrong, it's grave-robbing. "From my perspective, I think it's deplorable but, in hundreds of years' time, when people have forgotten about the sacrifices people made, it will become the done practice. Unless, that is, we get a law through. We cannot hope for a great deal but, if the political will is there, then maybe it will get passed. "The sad thing is most countries don't have the same feeling about graves as we do. "If you could get worldwide laws, something as simple as nobody is allowed to rob, pillage or take artefacts from war graves, then we would have achieved something." HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk by Japanese torpedos off Kuantan on the Malayan coast in December 1941. Around 840 men and women died on board. Following pressure from the Government, some companies have removed footage of dives from their websites, although they still run trips to the wrecks. Baroness Crawley said the Government was continuing to raise the issue from foreign governments and also aimed to educate diving companies about the historic importance of the wrecks. SOURCE - Western Mail | | Liars and looters Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard. Following the lead of dive industry-endorsed shipwreck looters Bishop and Sheard, scuba diving thieves around the world are destroying wrecks for bragging rights, coffee table displays and internet auction profits that amount to a fraction of the revenue shipwrecks can generate as fully protected underwater museums. FROM THE EDITORS OF CDNN Despite dive industry 'take pictures, leave only bubbles' green-wash, a small but strident group of scuba diving looters steal artifacts from shipwrecks under the guise of 'archaeological exploration', and aggressively compete for bragging rights, product endorsements and profits from the sales of stolen artifacts that are now on a par with those from smuggling humans and drugs. "We do not care about Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard's personality problems, their hate-mongering web sites, their chat room shenanigans nor their crude attempts to blackmail responsible, eco-friendly dive companies that support full protection of marine wildlife, shipwrecks and underwater war graves," said CDS President Evan T. Allard. "Such unscrupulous conduct is beneath contempt and serves only to substantiate accusations that Bishop and Sheard have committed crimes and will continue to do so unless authorities step in." "The fact is that the vast majority of the global scuba diving community opposes shipwreck looting and underwater grave robbing, and with good reason," Allard added. "For scuba divers, every shipwreck is an underwater museum to be fully protected for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations of divers who will dive deeper and longer thanks to ongoing improvements in diving technology ," Allard said. CYBER DIVER ALERT | If you have information pertaining to the theft and/or sale of wreck artifacts, or desecration of underwater grave sites by Leigh Bishop, Brad Sheard, organized crime gangs or anyone else, please contact CDNN immediately and your information will be passed along to appropriate authorities. REPORT SCUBA LOOTER |
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