Nearly 40,000 shipwrecks are waiting to be discovered along the British coast, Historic England has said, after awarding protection to three wrecks in Devon. Dating from the late Medieval period to the late 18th century, all three wrecks are rare survivals of wooden sailing vessels found in English waters. They date to the late 18th century and have been exposed by the elements a number of times over the past few decades, most recently following the winter storms of 2014. 11,000 vessels are known to have been wrecked in England waters in the late 18th century and few from this period have been discovered. No diving licence is required, but Historic England advisers visitors to check the tides.

Source: New Zealand Herald August 15, 2016 03:33 UTC