Divers find lost Royal Navy warship 109 years after WW1 sinking

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Divers have recently made an incredible discovery in the depths of the North Sea by locating the wreckage of the Royal Navy warship HMS Nottingham, which had been lost for over a century after it was sunk during World War One. Led by ProjectXplore, a team of ten divers uncovered the ship’s remains 60 miles off the coast of Scotland. This project focuses on discovering historically significant shipwrecks in the UK, and the finding of HMS Nottingham is a significant achievement.

The sinking of HMS Nottingham in August 1916 resulted in the tragic loss of thirty-eight crew members when the 457ft ship was torpedoed by a German submarine. After years of being shrouded in mystery, the ship’s location at a depth of 82 meters was finally revealed by the efforts of ProjectXplore this month. The team was able to confirm the identity of HMS Nottingham through various identifying features such as its name stamp, dimensions, equipment, and condition, all of which matched historical reports of the ship’s demise.

During the exploration of the wreckage, divers came across white dinner plates with a Royal Navy blue crown emblem, as well as the distinct lettering “Nottingham” on the top of the stern. The ship had been struck three times on its port side while on a reconnaissance mission after mistaking a German U-boat for a small fishing vessel. While the ship was lost, the captain, 20 officers, and 357 crew members were rescued by Royal Navy destroyers, preserving their lives.

Despite numerous failed attempts to locate HMS Nottingham over the years, ProjectXplore’s diligent research and exploration efforts paid off in April when sonar cameras detected a wreck with similar dimensions and positioning to the sunken warship. This led to an expedition in September 2024, where the team ultimately confirmed the identity of the long-lost vessel, bringing closure to the decades-long search for HMS Nottingham

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More

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