YouTuber Deep Wreck Diver revealed that he has purchased a WW1 shipwreck for just $400 on Facebook Marketplace.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of shipwrecks in oceans around the world, but odds are nobody has ever wondered about who actually owns them.
Ownership usually defaults to the closest country or, in the United States, to the closest state, but sometimes you can be lucky enough to buy them yourself.
That became the case for YouTuber Deep Wreck Diver, but where he managed to find the shipwreck for sale has left many people quite impressed.
YouTuber buys WW1 shipwreck
The man, whose real name is Dom Robinson, uploaded a video revealing the purchase back in January 2025, as well as a full exploration of the shipwreck.
According the diver, he found the 3,300-ton, 330ft long cargo ship dubbed the ‘SS Almond Branch’ on Facebook Marketplace for $400. Records show that it sunk off the coast of Cornwall during World War 1, and the original buyer purchased the wreckage in the 1970s.
Since then, the British Government has stopped selling shipwrecks directly.
Speaking to the BBC, Robinson said he dove down to the wreckage before making the purchase official.
“I just went along and I kind of kicked the tyres and I sucked my teeth, and I knew what it was,” he said. “It feels a bit different when you’re diving a wreck, and you know that you have a sense of ownership on it.”
He also shared that while there is no money to be made from the purchase, there is one item he hopes to find while diving down to the wreckage again.
He said: “So, if anybody finds the bell, they should report it to the Receiver of Wreck, who will ask me whether I want to keep it or not.
“And, if they find the bell, then obviously, hands off my bell.”
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.