Aircraft Crash Sites at Sea
ALSF Project Number 5223
Wessex Archaeology, 2008
Wessex Archaeology have been funded by English Heritage through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund to undertake a scoping study to identify current gaps in data and understanding relating to aircraft crash sites at sea. The study arises partly out of the discovery of aircraft parts and associated human remains as a result of marine aggregate dredging.
The number of known aircraft crash sites on the seabed as recorded by the National Monuments Record, local Sites and Monuments Records and Historic Environment Records implies that the UK's current known resource is relatively small. Despite this, the favourable preservation offered by marine environments and the recent discoveries of aircraft crash sites made by the marine industry and in particular, the marine aggregate dredging industry suggest a much larger resource potential. A discussion of these discrepancies between the known and potential resource is included within the report.