https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37997640:

“Three Dutch World War Two ships considered war graves have vanished from the bottom of the Java Sea, the Dutch defence ministry says.

[…]

A report in the Guardian says three British ships have disappeared as well.

[…]

the three missing wrecks were located 100km (60 miles) off the coast of Indonesia, at a depth of 70m”

I never understood the war graves thing. On land, people go to great effort to recover the bodies and re-inter them in proper graves. In the sea, they get designated as graves and nothing can be salvaged.

> On land, people go to great effort to recover the bodies and re-inter them in proper graves.

There aren't many spots on land a body can wind up that are comparable in difficulty to access as thousands of feet underwater.

I know. But for those that can do salvage, what's the problem?

You'd have the same problem if you tried to salvage topsoil from a cemetery.

That makes it harder to protect against treasure hunters not easier.