Abstract
It is a paradox that thousands of monuments to UK steelmaking and manufacturing survive because of calamities and catastrophes. Around our shores, ships sunk c. 1850-1950 represent a crescendo of technological innovation and industrial production of critical importance to UK history in terms of economy, commerce and society. This extraordinary heritage is hardly recognised because it is underwater, yet it has little counterpart on land or amongst ships still floating: the built heritage of civil shipbuilding has largely been erased; there are no sizable cargo vessels of this period in preservation. Fortunately, advances in marine survey and imaging are making it easier to access and appreciate this heritage without getting wet.