Navy Command FOI Section Navy Command Headquarters MP 1-4, Leach Building Whale Island PORTSMOUTH PO2 8BY Telephone [MOD]: +44 (0)2392 628695 2016-03776 Facsimile [MOD]: +44 (0)2392 625279 E-mail: [email protected] Mr J Mantle 27 April 2016 [email protected] Dear Mr Mantle, Release of Information Thank you for your correspondence dated 30 March 2016 requesting information on: “Please can you provide all ship wrecks in UK teritorial waters which are covered by the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986” Your enquiry has been considered to be a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the Department holds the information that you have requested and is attached as Annex A to this letter. If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. 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Yours sincerely Navy Command Secretariat – FOI Section Annex A to 2016-03776 Dated Apr 16 PROTECTED WRECKS Wrecks in UK Waters designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986: Controlled Sites Name of Location Date History Wreck HMS Bulwark Kent, Sheerness, 51 WWI On November 26th 1914 the battleship HMS Bulwark whilst at anchorage in Sheerness harbour was 25.385N 00 39.154E, completely destroyed by internal explosions in her magazine and shell rooms. She sank with the loss of 738 100m exclusion point lives. from this point HMS Natal Cromarty, 57 41.244N WWI The armoured cruiser HMS Natal was a unit of the 2nd Cruiser squadron. On December 30th 1915, she was 04 05.310W 100m lying in Cromarty harbour when a fire broke out on board. Within a short time her magazine exploded and she exclusion point from sank almost immediately. Of her complement of 815 men the loss of life was heavy, amounting to 421 officers this point and men. HMS A7 Plymouth, 50 1914 On the 16th January 1914 the submarine A7 was carrying out independent exercises in Whitsand bay near 18.527N 04 18.008W Plymouth. She failed to surface following the exercise. The cause of the accident is not known and all of her 200m exclusion point 11 man crew were lost. from this point HMS Dasher Strathclyde, 55 WWII The escort aircraft carrier HMS Dasher was destroyed by an internal explosion in the Firth of Clyde, on March 37.747N 05 00.953W 27th 1943. While engaged in deck/landing operation training the Dasher suffered an aviation/gasoline explosion 200m exclusion point as a result of which she sank within 3 minutes with the loss of 379 lives. No absolute cause was determined at from this point the time. HMS Scapa Flow, Orkney, WWII The battleship HMS Royal Oak was with the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow. On the morning of October 14th Royal Oak 58 55.848N 02 1939, the ship was laying at anchor at the extreme end of the harbour at Scapa, when she was struck by a 59.001W 200m salvo of torpedoes from a U-boat which had managed to penetrate the incomplete coastal defences and attack exclusion point from the battleship. Of her complement of 1,234 officers and men 834 lost their lives. this point HMS Vanguard Scapa Flow, Orkney, WWI The battleship HMS Vanguard served with the Grand Fleet during WWI until the time of her destruction. Lying 58 51.425N 03 at anchor three-quarters of a mile north of Flotta in Scapa Flow, when at 11.20 pm on July 9th 1917 she was 06.445W 200m destroyed by a series of huge internal explosions. There were only 2 seamen who survived the disaster from a exclusion point from complement of 806. The subsequent investigation found that coal sacks had been stowed next to the forward this point magazine, and spontaneous combustion of coal dust was possible but more likely that they had blocked ventilation to the magazines, causing the temperature to rise. This could have triggered the spontaneous ignition of the old Mark I cordite, which was apparently past its safe date. UB-81 50 29.442N 00 2nd Dec The UB 81 left Zeebrugge heading for the Channel. On 2nd December 1917, she struck a mine which caused 58.351W 250m 1917 flooding to the stern section. The crew blew the forward ballast tanks in order to raise the bow above water exclusion point from and in this way several crewmen were able to crawl through the open torpedo tubes to the surface. The open this point torpedo tubes were only just above water level and when a patrol vessel came along side it caused water to rush in the open tubes and flood the vessel, sending it to the seabed. Of the 34 crew only 7 survived. HM Submarine Anglesey, 53 WWI Failing to return to Bantry Bay, Ireland on March 6th 1918 it emerged that on 2nd March she was rammed and H5 05.510N 04 42.020W sunk by the British merchantman Rutherglen after being mistaken for a U-boat. All on board perished. 300m exclusion point from this point HMS Off Marwick Head, WWI The armoured cruiser HMS Hampshire was detached from the Grand Fleet for the special duty of conveying Hampshire Orkney, 59 07.023N Lord Kitchener and his staff to Russia. She left Scapa Flow on 5th June 1916. A gale rendered her destroyer 03 23.740W 300m escort useless and they returned to Scapa. HMS Hampshire carried on alone. At about 7.40 pm she hit a mine exclusion point from and sank within 15 minutes. Of her complement of 655 men and 7 passengers only 12 men survived. Lord this point Kitchener and his staff all perished. HMS Devon, 50 13.174N WWI The battleship was with the 5th Battle Squadron serving with the Channel Fleet. She left Sheerness 30th Formidable 03 04.049W 400m December 1914 to take part in a firing exercise off Portland. HMS Formidable was struck by a torpedo on the exclusion point from starboard side abreast of her foremost funnel and sank with the loss of 547 lives. this point Designated Vessels HMS Acheron Off the Isle of Wight 17th Dec The destroyer HMS Acheron struck a mine and sank off the Isle of Wight with the loss of 151 men. Bow Section 50 1940 31.332N, 001 30.441W. Stern Section 50 31.385N, 001 30.192W HMS Amphion North Sea 50 6th Aug After sinking the German minelayer Konigin Luise on 6th August 1914, HMS Amphion struck one of the mines 22.034N, 004 1914 previously laid by the German ship and was the first British warship lost in WWI. Amongst the 169 men killed 11.068W were 18 German sailors rescued from the Konigin Luise. HMT Beech Scrabster, North 22nd June The naval trawler was bombed and sunk at Scrabster, Caithness by Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of 1 crew Scotland 58 36.634N, 1941 member. 003 31.982W HMS Bullen North West Scotland 6th Dec The destroyer HMS Bullen was torpedoed and sunk by U-775 with the loss of 71 men. 58 41.975N, 004 1944 12.085W HMS Calgarian Rathlin Island, 1st March Struck by four torpedoes from U-19 and sank with the loss of 49 lives. Northern Ireland 55 1918 25.665N, 006 17.724W RFA Creosol North Sea, off 7th Feb February 7th 1918, the British tanker Creosol, on a voyage from Sunderland to the Humber with a cargo of fuel Sunderland 54 1918 oil, was sunk by the German submarine UC-17 (Erich Stephan), 5 miles ENE from Seaham Harbour. 2 52.240N, 001 persons were killed. 11.915W HMS Exmoor Off Lowestoft 52 25th Feb HMS Exmoor, a destroyer was escorting a convoy off Lowestoft when she was attacked by E-boats. She sank 30.269N, 002 1941 following an explosion with the loss of 104 men. 04.997E HMS Fisgard II Portland, Dorset 50 17th Sept Foundered and sank whilst under tow with the loss of 21 lives. 28.266N, 002 1914 29.508W HMS Ghurka Dungeness, Kent 50 8th Feb The destroyer HMS Ghurka struck a mine laid by the German submarine UC-47 off Dungeness with the loss of 50.402N, 000 1917 75 men. Only 5 men were rescued. 53.113E (Stern Section). RFA Isleford Off Wick Foul ground 25th Jan Lost near Wick when she ran aground in snow and heavy weather, striking rocks and sinking while on passage centred on 58 1942 from Lyness to Invergordon 26.424N, 003 03.960W HMS K4 Isle of May, Firth of 31st Jan The submarine K4 was taking part in an exercise off the Isle of May when, under radio silence and blackout Forth 56 15.513N, 1918 conditions, she was hit by HMS K6 and nearly cut in half.