ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976

Okay, so sometimes when boats or ships are sailing on the water, they can get into accidents and sink down to the bottom of the ocean. This can be really sad because sometimes people lose their lives and important things from the ship can get lost forever.

The Historic Shipwrecks Act is a law that was made in the United States in 1976 to help protect and preserve shipwrecks that are really old and important. It’s like a rulebook that tells people what they can and can’t do with these shipwrecks.

The law says that no one is allowed to take anything from the shipwreck, like treasure or artifacts or parts of the ship. It also says that people aren’t allowed to destroy or damage the shipwreck.

Why is this important? Well, sometimes these shipwrecks can tell us a lot about history! They can tell us what people were doing a long time ago, what they were trading, and what life was like on a ship. By keeping these shipwrecks safe and intact, we can learn more about our past and maybe even discover things we didn’t know before.

So basically, the Historic Shipwrecks Act is a law that helps protect special shipwrecks that are really old and important, so that we can learn more about history and keep the past alive.