Three words define us
Protect, Promote, Influence
MAST was founded in 2011 to tackle the disparity in the protection of our underwater maritime cultural heritage as compared with sites on land.
MAST is a UK-based registered charity and an NGO accredited to the Governing Bodies of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH).
We exist to fill the void in the understanding and interpretation of our Nation's rich maritime heritage, to ensure that there is a sustainable future for such sites by means of archaeology, study and research, and to share the results of our work through education, training and exhibitions.
Since 2011 MAST has become the acknowledged champion for UCH in the UK. We undertake heritage science projects; we run the Maritime Observatory which detects and deters looters who are also often responsible for leaks of oil and other toxic substances; we are working to influence heritage management by Government; campaigning and increasing public awareness; we support public education and training and we are currently engaged in the conservation of the newly-acquired, unique Marina Camrose Shipwreck Collection of historic maritime artefacts, the largest body of material from English historic wrecks, with the broadest range of material from the Bronze Age to the 20th century, a true treasure trove.
Our mission
- to protect our Nation's future by understanding our past;
- to evaluate, record and preserve our underwater archaeology for the benefit and education of the public;
- to prevent and deter the threats posed to our underwater cultural heritage by both human activity and environmental processes
MAST's mission is simple
We focus our operations on the archaeological sites around our shores where the many shipwrecks bear witness to thousands of years of exploration, war and trade in cargo, people and ideas. This unique heritage gives us a sense of place in the world.
Underwater Britain contains evidence of all periods, from the oldest seafaring craft in the world dating back to the Middle Bronze Age, to the huge numbers of ships, submarines and aircraft lost in the two World Wars.
Sites already investigated have made great contributions to our understanding of the past. Underwater mapping in the North Sea is revealing drowned prehistoric hunting grounds and some of Britain's earliest human settlements. Ancient wreck sites across the south coast have uncovered evidence of Bronze Age trading links between southern England and the Mediterranean, while excavations in the heart of Roman London's bustling waterfront trace the origins of globalisation. The wrecks of the Mary Rose and HMS Invincible have laid bare the personal lives of ordinary sailors in the Tudor and Georgian Navies.
But many more sites are neglected and risk being lost through lack of awareness or funding: Britain's coastal waters contain the remains of more than 40,000 lost ships, more per mile of coastline than anywhere else in the world
The multicultural nature of Britain’s people and communities stands as a testament to the immense influence of our maritime past on modern-day Britain. This is a story still to be fully told.
