The suspected removal of artefacts from Spanish Armada shipwreck La Girona on the Causeway Coast is to be investigated by Stormont officials.
The ship sunk just off Portballintrae in 1588 and has such a high level of protection no one is allowed to dive in the area without a license.
However, the Department for Communities said it has received a report of diving activity "in the restricted area around La Girona and the removal of potential artefacts from the site" in July.
Divers have now been warned to steer clear of other protected shipwrecks in Northern Ireland's waters.
The second which has special status is HMS Drake, a World War One cruiser which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in 1917 and sank in Rathlin Bay.
Access to La Girona is restricted under the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973) and any person diving on the wreck without a licence may be prosecuted.
Diving the HMS Drake does not require any permissions. However, the removal of artefacts from the wreck without the appropriate Scheduled Monument Consent may constitute an offence, and any person doing so may be prosecuted under the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.
A Stormont spokesperson said: "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. The Department is currently investigating this incident.
"The Department for Communities and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs work in partnership to manage and protect the marine historic environment. In response to this report, a DAERA patrol vessel will be undertaking regular inspections of both La Girona and HMS Drake over the summer months.
"It is important that we protect these important historic wrecks so that they are preserved and can be enjoyed by future generations of divers."
If you are diving on any of Northern Ireland’s shipwreck sites they ask that you adhere to the following:
- The legal restrictions on diving the La Girona and the HMS Drake shipwrecks.
- Dive all historic wrecks on a ‘look but don’t touch’ basis and follow established codes of conduct.
- Should you observe anyone diving the waters surrounding La Girona this should be reported to the PSNI on 101. Describe your call as a Protected Wreck Site crime report.
You can report marine heritage crime to: historicenvironmentenquiries@communities-ni.gov.uk and Marine.InfoRequests@daera-ni.gov.uk.
If you are a diver and would like to send us some information, images or videos of a wreck you have dived please contact us at: HERoNI@communities-ni.gov.uk and we will add it to our records.
