Divers haul ghost nets from submarine wreck in Greece’s Ionian Sea

Divers removed half a ton of abandoned fishing gear covering a British submarine that sank off the Greek island of Kefalonia in 1941 as well as other wrecks in an effort to protect the area's loggerhead sea turtles, dolphins and monk seals.

Lost fishing nets - known as "ghost nets" - wrapped around shipwrecks often turn into death traps for marine life.

The Healthy Seas initiative, which organized the operation, said millions of animals die every year after getting trapped in the nylon gear.

Last week, Greek and Dutch volunteers dived 52 meters into the waters between the islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos to remove nets entangled around HMS Perseus, one of the biggest submarines of World War Two and a cultural heritage site.

The cleanup mission focused on the submarine's conning tower and the front outer hull.

"The underwater cleanups lasted five...