Protected places and Controlled sites ("war graves") designated under The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986

What is it:

The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 deals with wrecks of both aircraft and ships, and all military aircraft are automatically protected under this legislation.

This Act is administered by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) - RAF for aircraft, Navy for vessels. Under this Act, vessels may be designated either as a protected place or as a controlled site.

Commonly called "war graves", they are more correctly referred to as "military maritime graves".

Links to Scotland's Marine Atlas:

Chapter 5: Historic Environment and Cultural Heritage

Data originators:

Scottish Government (Marine Directorate)

United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO)

This information page is part of the theme:

Historic Environment and Cultural Heritage

HMS Royal Oak (Controlled Site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986) in Scapa Flow, Orkney - © ADUS DeepOcean Ltd and Salvage and Marine Operations (UK MOD)

More Information:

For definitions of 'protected place’ and ‘controlled site’ follow the link to The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Designation of Vessels and Controlled Sites) Order 2017 under the 'Additional Information' tab.

This page was last modified on :

Monday, March 13, 2023 - 19:22

Map Type	Click title for metadata and licence information	Date of data	View Map
Map Layers (NMPi)	Sites and vessels designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 ("war graves") - protected wrecks	2023-03-13	Access this map on NMPi

Type	Title	External link
Legislation	Department for Transport - Wreck and salvage law	www.gov.uk
Web link	Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Receiver of Wreck	www.gov.uk