PROTECTION OF MARITIME WAR GRAVES

Motion Text

That this House calls on the Government to provide official protection against salvage companies and souvenir hunters who prey on maritime war graves; urges the Secretary of State for Defence to utilise the protection provided by the Military Remains Act 1986 in order to watch over those vessels that at the time of their sinking were in service with or being used for the purposes of any of the armed forces; and notes that during the Second World War alone 2,500 British merchant ships were sunk by enemy action, mainly by German U boats and E boats and that up to 35,000 British and Commonwealth seamen and almost 4,000 Royal Navy and Army gunners gave their lives during these attacks.