Historic wrecks are attractive to maritime archaeologists because they preserve historical information: for example, studying the wreck of Mary Roserevealed information about seafaring, warfare, and life in the 16th century.

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Poor design, improperly stowed cargo, navigation and other human errors leading to collisions (with another ship, the shoreline, an iceberg, etc.), bad weather, fire, and

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Many factors determine the state of preservation of a wreck:
• the ship's construction materials
• the wreck becoming covered in sand or silt

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A shipwreck may have value in several forms:
• Cultural heritage,
• Recreational diving and other tourism attraction

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Often, attempts are made to salvage shipwrecks, particularly those recently wrecked, to recover the whole or part of the ship, its cargo, or its equipment. An example was the salvage of the scuttled German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flowin the 1920s and 1930s. The

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• Shipwreck on a shore near Gytheio, Greece
• Wrecked fishing boats in Finnmark, North Norway
• The ferry Assalama wrecked off of Tarfaya, Morocco
• Ship wreck of Maheno, Fraser Island, Australia

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Iron and steel wrecks are subject to corrosion, which is most rapid in shallow sea water where the salinity induces galvanic corrosion, oxygen

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