Submarine wreck off Devon coast given protected status

The wreck of a British submarine off the Devon coast has been given protected status.

HMS/m D1 was used in the First World War to protect the coast of Dover but now sits off the Dartmouth coast.

Divers can still explore the wreck, but its contents are protected by law and must remain as they are.

The submarine was secretly launched in 1908 and commissioned in September 1909.

It was used as the prototype for the D-class submarine - the Royal Navy’s firstlong-range diesel-powered submarine.

After being deliberately sunk in 1918 it was used as a target to test submarine detection equipment.

The wreck currently sits upright and is largely intact on the seabed.

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