Divers have removed a net that was obstructing the site of a British second world war Hunt-class destroyer.

The net was at HM’s Southwold Bow site, which lies approximately 2.4km off the Marsascala coast and rests at a depth of 65 metres.

In March 1942, the destroyer struck a mine and split, sinking to the seabed in two sections (bow and stern). 

Six divers participated in one dive, successfully lifting the net and sending it to the surface in a joint operation by Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) and ATLAM Dive Club.

Divers inspecting HM Southwold. File photo: Heritage Malta

It is part of a larger net removal project currently being undertake at various Heritage Malta underwater sites.

The presence of ghost gear – abandoned fishing nets, traps, pots and lines – in the world’s oceans is increasing, with an estimated 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear left underwater every year.

Apart from contributing to the preservation of submerged cultural heritage, such operations also reap environmental benefits.

HMS Southwold was sunk after it was severely attacked by the German Luftwaffe and Italian War Ships during World War Two. Photo: Heritage Malta

With marine pollution on the rise, the elimination of ghost gear is an integral part of protecting the marine environment, Heritage Malta said.

The dangers of ghost gear lie in its material durability, often floating on ocean currents and indiscriminately ghost fishing its way across the sea posting a threat of entanglement for marine flora and fauna, often attracted to and flourishing at wreck sites.

Such ghost gear is also a threat to divers visiting the site, often unaware of the dangers.

The debris reaches the surface. Photo: Heritage Malta