Ever since the beginning of seafaring, wooden ships have been lost or wrecked in the seas and oceans of the world. The remains of these wrecks form the under water cultural heritage and provide significant archaeological and historical evidence of our seafaring past. Yet if care is not taken this resource can be lost due to natural and cultural processes of decay. This book stems from the results of an interdisciplinary European Union supported research project, WreckProtect, which investigated the decay and preservation of wooden shipwrecks under water in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is a unique resource for wooden shipwrecks that have, in part, survived intact due to its brackish waters preventing the growth of shipworm. The book is not limited to the decay of wrecks in the Baltic alone and is aimed at all stakeholders with a vested interest in the protection of the underwater cultural heritage including marine archaeologists, conservators, engineers, and students in related fields at universities around the world.