La Girona: Investigation over suspected shipwreck theft
- Published
La Girona sank off the north coast in the 16th Century
The authorities are investigating the alleged removal of artefacts from a protected wreck of the Spanish Armada off the County Antrim coast.
Reports were received that divers may have taken objects from La Girona, an Armada warship, which sank off Portballintrae in 1588.
Access to the site of La Girona is restricted under the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973).
Anyone diving the restricted area without a licence may be prosecuted.
Divers from the Department for Communities have been investigating the alleged removal of items from La Girona
A marine patrol vessel will be doing regular inspections of the dive site over the rest of the summer to prevent any repeat.
Stormont's Department for Communities, which looks after historic monuments, said it was investigating the incident.
"Over the July holiday period the department received a report of diving activity within the restricted area around La Girona and the removal of potential artefacts from the site," it said.
La Girona is one of two wrecks in Northern Ireland waters that have special levels of protection under the law.
The site of the HMS Drake wreck is in Rathlin Bay
The other is the World War One cruiser HMS Drake, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank in Rathlin Bay in 1917.
Diving the HMS Drake does not require a licence but the removal of artefacts without the proper authorisation may constitute an offence.
People diving wrecks around the coast have been asked to check the rules on the various wrecks.
Anyone who sees people diving in the waters around La Girona is asked to contact the police on 101.
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