Case Study: HMS Swift (Argentina)

ELKIN, D.

Wolverhampton

Congreso; Shared Heritage - Joint Responsibilities in the Management of British Warships Wrecks Overseas; 2008

English Heritage y University of Wolverhampton

This contribution provides an overview of the HMS Swift archaeological project, which deals with a British sloop of war which sank off Patagonia in 1770 and is conducted by the underwater archaeology team of a federal Argentinean government agency, the National Institute of Anthropology. Special consideration is given to the role of this archaeological site in the legal protection of the underwater cultural heritage and the development of maritime archaeology in Argentina. The paper also includes several examples of the positive bilateral relationship between Argentina and the UK, especially in relation to the treatment of the human remains found in the site.