Underwater thieves arrested in England

English police have arrested two men on suspicion of stealing items from the waters off the Thames Estuary. The stolen items are believed to include artefacts from the 17th century protected ship HMS London.

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The raids were carried out by a combined force of officers from Kent and Essex Police, archaeologists from the National Heritage Institute and officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Officers went to one of the addresses, along with a BBC news crew. Their biggest discovery was a huge two tonne bronze cannon. They are believed to be 16th century cannons of Dutch origin, recovered from the wreck of HMS London, with a total value estimated at £30,000.

In addition to the cannons, other artefacts were found on the property, including fittings, porcelain, crystal etc. Altogether about 150 items believed to be from a number of wrecks. The whole has been listed and secured.

According to the BBC, both men (54l. and 44l.) were released on bail after initial questioning by police.

Police, meanwhile, have begun examining the evidence, including business documents and data found on the suspects’ computers. At the same time, archaeologists will work to establish the provenance of all recovered objects. This will allow them to check whether there has been a breach of the legal acts concerning the protection of wrecks and historical heritage.

The arrests were the result of ARCH, the Alliance to Reduce Crime Against Heritage, which was set up in February to bring together various state bodies and institutions to effectively enforce heritage law.

HMS London, which sank in an explosion in 1665, has remained under protection since 2008.

The cannons it carried came from England and the Netherlands. The Dutch cannons, were seized during the First Anglo-Dutch War, fought over 1652-54, then adapted and installed aboard HMS London and other English ships.

The historical value of the bronze cannons was estimated by armament expert Charles Trollop, who examined the recovered artifacts.

“Very few bronze cannons survive today. They have mostly been melted down to recover the raw material.”

Source: www.divernet.com