Inquiry into plundering of our WW2 shipwrecks

deFeNce chiefs have launched a probe into claims that chinese pirates have been plundering the wrecks of British ships sunk in the second world war.

salvagers were yesterday accused of breaching international law by looting the remains of ten warships – resting places for more than 1,000 war heroes.

the vessels were sunk in late 1941 and 1942 in skirmishes off Malaysia and Indonesia, providing winston churchill with some of his darkest days in office.

experts previously declared that six British ships had been plundered for steel, but yesterday revealed that four more have been targeted.

Veteran Maurice Pink, 96, one of the few remaining survivors of sunken hMs repulse, described the revelations as ‘diabolical’, and accused the chinese of desecrating war graves.

Vowing action, defence secretary gavin williamson said yesterday: ‘the uK government absolutely condemns the unauthorised disturbance of any wreck containing human remains, and always has done.’

he added: ‘we will work closely with the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to investigate these claims.’

scavengers are said to have taken around half of the 750ft long battlecruisers the hMs Prince of wales and repulse, where 835 men and women lost their lives. worse, there is said to be barely any trace of heavy cruiser hMs exeter, which went down in the second Battle of the Java sea in 1942. hMs Banka has also been dredged up completely, while just 80 per cent of hMs encounter remains.