Help keep our waters clean and protect our underwater heritage. Learn how to record and monitor military wrecks and provide meaningful information to the Ministry of Defence to help them assess these potentially polluting wrecks.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is responsible for over 5,500 historic shipwrecks in UK and international waters and little is known about the condition of many of these wreck sites. Consequently, the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) has carried out a programme of non-intrusive condition assessments using the HMS Natal in the Cromarty Firth, Scotland as a pilot project.

The condition assessments for all future wrecks will follow the same format, using a pro-forma to ensure that there will be consistency in assessment and ongoing monitoring to determine the condition of the wrecks over time. The assessment will highlight such aspects as the collapse or otherwise of the structure, obvious examples of environmental pollution, anchor and fishing net damage and any salvage or collection of artefacts that has previously occurred.

To be part of the project you need the following pre-requisites:

• Be a NAS member
• Have at least Part 1, or NAS Foundation qualification (which consists of completing eLearning and Skills Days)
• Complete the online course Identification of Environmental and Explosive Hazards on Wrecks
• ​Minimum diving qualification BSAC Sports Diver, CMAS 2 star or equivalent
• Log book showing dives within the last 3 months. 
• Diving medical or self-certification. 
• Rebreather qualification (if applicable) - if planning on diving on rebreather

We are ‘recruiting’ for the following positions and facilities :  

• Dive team members
• Shore based members
• Dive RIB(s)
• Air filling Compressors
• Researchers
• Photographers
• Illustrators
• Surveyors

You can read the full project plan here

If you haven’t yet registered your interest, please contact [email protected] with the subject line ‘HMS Natal’ and the project team will respond to you.