Wakeful and West-hinder wreck sites the first to receive heritage status

With the entering into force of the new law concerning the protection of the underwater cultural heritage dated 4^th April 2014 (Royal Decree from 25^th April 2014), 2 wreck sites located in the Belgian part of the North Sea were the first to receive heritage status in preparation for their possible future protection. It concerns the British torpedo boat hunter HMS Wakeful, that sank during a torpedo attack in 1940, and the Belgian West-Hinder Lightvessel, that sunk after a collision in 1912.

On the 14^th of May this was announced by Minister Vande Lanotte together with the initiative to clear wreck sites of nets and other ‘debris’.

A short report about this on the regional TV channel Focus-WTV (14/05/2014) can be viewed here.

From 1^st June 2014 this new law entered into vigour and all finds in the Belgian territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone or the continental shelf must be reported to the governor of West-Flanders who has been assigned as the receiver of the underwater cultural heritage.

Finds must be reported digitally: via email gouverneur@west-vlaanderen.be or via the reporting form available at www.vondsteninzee.be.

Photo: West-Hinder Lichtvessel, 2014 (Flanders Heritage Agency, photo Dieter Decroos)