Now, if only the "treasure hunters" who go poking around Europe without authority would do the same thing
Wrecks and Casualties Sadly not all ships sunk with a large loss of life are considered to be War Graves,and respected as such. The Ariosto lost 11mls due East of the Tunisian Port of Mahdia with the loss of around 140 Commonwealth P.O.W. is regularly dived on to satisfy the needs of the Tourist Industry.
I am afraid I have no time for divers who desecrate war graves whether they are designated or not. If one life was lost then its a war grave end of story. It is unfortunate, though, that these "treasure hunters" give respectable divers a bad name. Unfortunately, as far as the UK is concerned, our own government don't recognise some of the Merchant Navy ships lost at sea, as war graves, so what chance do we have. Regards Hugh
War Graves We have very little chance Hugh as successive Governments over the past 16yrs have been approached on the subject. Ten years ago I was over the wreck of the Ariosto laying a wreath to those lost on the ship. Earlier in the day I scattered the ashes of a recently deceased survivor over the S.S.Scillin which is just a few miles away. What I will say is that the Tunisian Government couldn't have been more helpful. They provided a boat and gave us an M.G.B. as escort. Brian
