Page 24: of Marine Technology Magazine (June 2014)

News

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency announced that two divers from Kent have pleaded guilty to not declaring valuable items from shipwrecks off the U.K. coast.

David Knight and Edward Huzzey, both from Sandgate, ad- mitted to 19 offences between them, contrary to section 236 and section 237 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

Items were taken from shipwrecks off the Kent coast, with the fi rst known objects removed in 2001. The shipwrecks tar- geted included German submarines from World War I and an unknown 200 year old wreck carrying English East India

Company cargo.

The items included eight bronze cannons, three propellers from German submarines, lead and tin ingots, along with various other artifacts. It’s thought the combined value of the items is worth more than $420,000.

MCA said it is aware from diary entries that Knight and

Huzzey used explosives and sophisticated cutting equipment to free wreck material.

Sentencing has been scheduled for July 2, 2014.

Divers Guilty of Raiding Historic Shipwrecks 24 MTR

June 2014

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