[WAR GRAVE – PROTECTED] HMS Prince of Wales
War grave and protected site: HMS Prince of Wales, the British battleship sunk by Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941, lies upside down in about 68 m, roughly 50 nautical miles off the Kuantan coast (Pahang, outside the Terengganu parks). It is designated a Protected Place under the UK Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, and the wrecks have repeatedly been looted by scrap-metal salvagers (latest reports 2023–2024). This is not a recreational site: touching, entering or removing anything is prohibited.
Facts
- Region: Malaysia – East Coast North
- Area: Pahang war graves (offshore Kuantan)
- Depth: 60–68 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: strong
- Type: wreck, deep
- Coordinates: 3.56, 104.4783
- Highlights: pelagic fish
- Permit: Protected Place under the UK Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 and a war grave: touching, entering, salvaging or removing anything is prohibited, and diving needs official clearance. The sources opened do not describe a permit procedure or issuing authority (the ship's bell was raised in 2002 only with UK Ministry of Defence permission), so contact the UK MoD / Malaysian authorities before any plan.
- Unverified: The legal conditions for diving (issuing authority) are not verified; only protected status and position are sourced.
- Tips: Technical depth, open ocean, strong currents; any diving requires official clearance. A White Ensign marks the wreck and passing Royal Navy ships hold a remembrance service.