Final answer:
Removing artifacts from wrecks is controversial because it diminishes their historical context and significance.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of history, removing artifacts from wrecks is controversial because doing so makes wrecks lose their historical context and significance. When artifacts are taken from wrecks, valuable historical information is lost, and the wreck itself becomes incomplete. Many historians argue that preserving wrecks and their artifacts in their original state is important for understanding the past and learning from history.