Shipwreck Museum

One of the greatest known concentrations of historic sunken ship lies off the shore of South East England, particularly where it borders the English Channel, one of the busiest seaways in the world.

Records show that nearly 1,000 ships have been swallowed by the sands of East Kent alone and many of these are in good condition because the soft sand and silt preserves the wood.

Most of the wrecks are from nineteenth and twentieth centuries but this doesn't mean that they're not historically valuable.  For example, the seabed near Bognor is home to all kinds of Second World War vehicles including landing crafts, tanks, submarines, a field gun, a section of a Mulberry Harbour and British and German warships.

These outstanding reminders of crucial stages in human history demand study, protection and preservation which is why the Shipwreck Museum was opened in Hastings in 1986 by the Nautical Museums Trust.