Why discovering a wreck also creates a protection problem

Are some warship wrecks safer if they are never found?

Remaining hidden can deter looting, but a wreck cannot receive targeted protection until authorities know where it is.

An undiscovered wreck is harder to loot but also impossible to monitor or protect deliberately. Once a site is identified, maritime authorities and historians gain the information needed to guard it, although enforcement varies greatly between heavily patrolled and lightly monitored seas.