probably just a stupid diver, adding to his collection.
read recently where a U boat, sunk off North Carolina has had pieces stolen off it, including a periscope and radar antenna.
On the other hand if it’s just left to nature, in a century you just have a red rust stain on the seafloor. There is some merit to preserving artifacts and the memory of a heroic ship.
Visit any museum. Archaeologists and collectors loot tombs routinely. And we make a folk hero of Indiana Jones.
I would hope that most recreational divers who dive on military vessels lost at sea during combat operations are crypts and entering them and disturbing anything is tantamount to grave robbing.
I’ve also noticed that the young amongst us are ill-education regarding appropriate behavior when a funeral procession passes, or the amount of sacrifice our service men and women provide on a daily basis.