We had the pleasure of hosting the launch of the Marine Antiquities Scheme at the British Museum in July 2016, with an opening address by Dr Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum. We hope that this exciting new initiative will mark a new era for publicly driven data sharing in the marine environment, based on the success of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Michael Lewis, Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure at the British Museum, discusses the Marine Antiquities Scheme here.

Now that the Marine Antiquities Scheme is launched, we want people in the know to encourage others to use the scheme. It's exciting to be in the initial days, with the hope of seeing some great archaeological discoveries over time. So, please do share the good news and encourage more people to record their underwater finds.

More views from the Nautical Archaeology Society's president, Phil Harding, can be read here.

The Marine Antiquities Scheme captures the excitement of the moment when a diver, fisherman, boat operator or coastal visitor makes an underwater discovery. As they sit there wondering just what it is they've uncovered, they can now turn to an easy to use app and record their find in a matter of minutes.

Find out more about the Marine Antiquities Scheme from The Crown Estate's Matthew Clear here.

This Scheme - accessible by app and webpage - is a new way for the fishing industry, diving clubs, other leisure and commercial marine users and the general public to report archaeological finds in the marine environment. ​We launch at the British Museum on 21 July 2016.

More information is published in Sport Diver here.

The gun is a QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss, a light 2.25 inch (57 mm) naval and coastal defence gun from the late 19th century. The design appears to be pre-1890 as it does not have the recoil system that was introduced at that time. It was ship mounted and from the location given may have come from the French merchant vessel, SS Saint Andre, a 2457-tons French steamer built by Ateliers & Chantiers de France in Dunkerque in 1907.

On 19 December 1917, the vessel was on a voyage from Rouen to Algiers with a cargo of empty casks, when it was sunk by the German submarine UB-58, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Werner Fürbringer, nine miles southwest of the Eddystone Lighthouse, Devon. At the time of sinking the vessel was owned by Société Navale de l'Ouest, Le Havre.