Divers Complete A Photographic & 3D Photogrammetry Survey of HMS Hampshire

Published 10 years agoon June 20, 2016

A specialist diving team from the UK and Finland has completed a detailed photographic and 3D imaging survey of the shipwreck HMS Hampshire.

The 10,850-ton armoured cruiser HMS Hampshire departed Scapa Flow in Orkney on 5 June 1916 on a voyage around the north cape of Norway to the port of Archangel in northern Russia. She was carrying Lord Kitchener and his staff to Russia to discuss mutual war aims and strategy. As she struggled up the west coast of Orkney in a severe gale, approximately one and a half miles off Marwick Head she struck a mine laid by the German Submarine U-75 a week before on 29 May and quickly sank. Of the 749 people aboard, only 12 managed to reach the shore alive; Lord Kitchener and his staff were lost.

Today HMS Hampshire lies at a depth of approximately 70m (230ft) near the North West tip of Orkney in an exposed area open to North Atlantic storms and strong tidal flows. Despite the challenges, over a two-week period that poignantly covered the 100^th anniversary commemorations of her sinking, the team undertook over 200 hours of diving.

Expedition Leader Rod Macdonald, an internationally renowned diving author and Director of Wreck-X (Shipwreck Explorers) explains:

“The story of HMS Hampshire is of historical importance and her loss forms an important element of the WWI naval story. In recognition of this, the prestigious Explorers Club awarded the expedition Explorers Club flag No 192. All major explorations since early 1900’s have carried with them an Explorers Club flag, including expeditions to the Poles, Everest and the Moon. Flag No 192 was carried on 22 previous expeditions to Polar Regions, the Himalayas and has crossed the Atlantic twice by hot air balloon.

HMS Hampshire is a controlled wreck under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 and no diving is permitted. To enable the survey to be undertaken, the UK Ministry of Defence granted the expedition a special licence. Diving was conducted from the new purpose built dive vessel MV Huskyan, based in Stromness, Orkney. For the first time a 3D photogrammetry survey of a shipwreck of this size has been attempted and the preliminary results are impressive with new information coming to light on her sinking and subsequent decay. This information will now be used to compile a detailed written and visual survey report, which will be made available to the UK Ministry of Defence, local Orkney museums and Historic Scotland.

As we commemorate WWI and in particular the 100 year anniversary of her sinking, we hope that this survey data will add to our knowledge of this historic warship and help maintain the memory of HMS Hampshire and the sacrifice made by her crew.”