BACKGROUND
As an island race, the British have
always had very strong cultural links to the maritime environment with many of
us being only one or two generations removed from forebears who worked the waterways
and seas. Our modern language is still littered with words and phrases which
originated around ships.
Whilst there are abundant museums and
archives full of papers, books, and artefacts which celebrate the Nation’s
sea-faring past, our maritime history as it relates to the continued operation of old ships is without doubt the
'forgotten' branch of the UK heritage industry.
Although a small number of static 'big
ship' projects and land-based initiatives are attracting a lot of popular
attention and funds, there are dozens of smaller, yet no less important, vessels
in imminent danger of sinking due mainly to the fact that their importance as
'living' examples of our maritime history is barely acknowledged. With every
vessel that is lost, the traditions, stories and specialised skills necessary
to maintain and crew the craft disappear too. There is precious little support
available for the physical preservation of historic vessels in their own right,
nor is there any meaningful legal mechanism to protect even the rarest of these
ships.
Under current legislation, wrecks enjoy more legal protection than the
vessels which are still afloat.