Heritage

Contentsthe first world war underwater cultural heritage and the unesco 2001 convention13Did the First World War have an important maritime component?Despite the fact that the majority of First World War battles were fought on land,the war at sea was significant, especially due to the social impact of submarinewarfare.During the period of the ‘race to the sea’ (course à la mer) at the beginning of the War,both sides increased the size of their fleets, and an attempt by the British to block thesubmarine ports at Zeebrugge and Oostende led to the Westhoek flooding. A largenumber of important naval actions took place around the world, such as the Battlesof Coronel and of the Falkland Islands at the end of 1914, the Gallipoli Campaignin 1915, which aimed to maintain the connection with the Black Sea or to captureIstanbul, and the Battle of Jutland in 1916.Most important, however, was the impact of the unrestricted submarine warfare that occurredbetween the British and German Empires in the English Channel, and in the watersoff Australia. As a result of food and medicine shortages, famine and illness plaguedthe ships and the civilian population on land. Eventually, such conditions led to the mutinyof the Imperial Fleet in Kiel and the ensuing breakdown of the German Monarchy.What submerged heritage remains from the First World War?A short overview of submerged heritage from the First World War is attached as anAnnex to this manual. However, it should not be considered comprehensive, as manysites have yet to be registered and researched.Canakkale SeddulbahirBarge II© Harun ÖzdasThe Gallipoli Campaign (Çanakkale Savaşı) took placeon the Gallipoli peninsula, part of the Ottoman Empire(now Gelibolu in modern-day Turkey), between 25 April1915 and 9 January 1916. A joint British and French operationwas mounted to capture the Ottoman capital ofConstantinople (now Istanbul) and secure a sea route toRussia. The attempt to land troops from transport shipsfailed, with heavy casualties on both sides. The campaignwas considered one of the greatest victories of the Turksand viewed as a major failure by the Allies.A modern-day Turkish-Australian project ‘Beneath Gallipoli’recently surveyed Suvla Bay, the location of one of