What is wreck?
Wreck is flotsam, jetsam, derelict and lagan found in or on the shores of the sea or any tidal water.  It includes a ship, aircraft, or hovercraft, parts of these, their cargo or equipment.  It may be of antique or archaeological value such as gold coins, or a yacht or dinghy abandoned at sea, or items such as drums of chemicals, or crates of foodstuffs.

Flotsam...goods lost from a ship which has sunk or otherwise perished which are recoverable by reason of their remaining afloat.

Jetsam...goods cast overboard in order to lighten a vessel which is in danger of being sunk, not withstanding that afterwards it perishes.

Derelict...property, whether vessel or cargo, which has been abandoned and deserted at sea by those who were in charge of it without any hope of recovering it.

Lagan...goods cast overboard from a ship which afterwards perishes, buoyed so as to render them recoverable.

What to do if you find wreck
It is a legal requirement that all recovered wreck is reported to the Receiver of Wreck whether recovered within or outside UK waters and even if the finder is the owner.  The receiver of Wreck is responsible for the administration of that part of the Merchant shipping Act 1995 which deals with wreck and salvage.  Operating on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. the Receiver of Wreck is located within the Maritime and coastguard Agency.  If you find wreck contact the Receiver of Wreck, your local Coastguard Station, marine Office, H. M. Customs and Excise Advice Centres, some harbour offices and museums.

Why does wreck need to be reported?
To give the legitimate owner the opportunity of recovering their property.

What will happen to the wreck?
The Receiver of Wreck will investigate ownership of wreck items.  the owner has one year in which to come forward and prove title to the property.  During this statutory period the finder may be allowed to hold the wreck on behalf of the Receiver of Wreck, whilst the investigations are carried out.

Will I be able to keep the find?
Wreck recovered from within UK waters, which remains unclaimed at the end of the one-year statutory period, becomes the property of the Crown and the Receiver of Wreck is required to dispose of it.  This may be through sale or auction, although in many instances the finder will be allowed to keep items of unclaimed wreck in lieu of a salvage award.  This, however, is at the discretion of the Receiver of wreck and each case is judged on merit.

Will I be able to keep historic wreck?
For the purpose of the Merchant Shipping act, historic wreck is defined as items which are over 100 years old.  The Maritime Coastguard Agency is committed to try , wherever practical, to offer items of historic wreck to institutions where they will remain accessible to the public and such items are offered first to registered museums.  Wherever possible the Receiver of Wreck will endeavour to ensure that the artefacts are offered to a museum within the area of the find site.  The Receiver of Wreck will consider the finder's wishes with regard to this whenever possible.
The Receiver of Wreck will liaise with the Department for Culture, Media and sport and relevant organisations as necessary, when dealing with historic wreck.


Will information supplied to The Receiver of Wreck be confidential?
The receiver of wreck recognises the responsibility to both owners and finders of wreck.  Information provided will not be passed onto a third party without the finder's prior knowledge.