ALMOST exactly 100 years to the day since she sank beneath the waves during the First World War, the remains of Barrow-built battleship HMS Vanguard can be seen for the first time in a series of remarkable underwater images.

Launched in February 1909, Vanguard was a St Vincent class dreadnought battleship which served with the Grand Fleet during the Great War under Captain JD Dick.

During the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, she fired her guns for the first and only time, helping to sink the German light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden .

But Vanguard's days were numbered; while sailing with the 4th Battle Squadron at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands off the Scottish coast, the ship suffered a catastrophic internal explosion at around 11.20pm on July 9 in 1917.

The force of the blast was so great it threw a 12-inch gun, weighing 400 tonnes, to the island of Flotta almost a mile away.

Only two crew members survived; the remaining 843 were killed instantly. Fewer than 50 bodies were recovered from the site and are buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Lyness on the island of Hoy.

Sections of the ship were raised in 1926 and later scrapped, but Vanguard's wreck, including the bow and stern, have remained, unseen, on the seabed 34m below the surface – until now.

A specialist diving team, based in Orkney, were granted special permission by the Ministry of Defence to examine the wreckage. As Vanguard's remains are classed as a war grave, the area is a protected site and diving is usually strictly forbidden by law.

Led by Ben Wade and Emily Turton, the crew on board MV Huskyan are conducting an extensive survey of the wreck and have today revealed the very first images of the ship.

Their aim is to complete a full photographic, 3D photogrammetry and video survey of the site and will be liaising with experts in munitions, explosive effects and weapons engineering, First World War naval history, marine biology, and underwater 3D visualization.

Describing the site, Emily Turton said: "The main wreck is complicated with an extensive debris field. Surprising, given the nature of her loss, both the bow and stern are intact despite large pieces of wreckage having been thrown hundreds of metres away.

" HMS Vanguard was legally salvaged during the second half of the 20th century and much evidence of this remains.

"It is accepted that the likely cause of the disaster was an accidental magazine explosion. Eye witness accounts on the night of her loss describe a large explosion immediately behind the bridge. We can reveal that our initial survey result support this.

"The largest explosion appears to have been in the P and Q turret magazines. Today there is little wreckage left in this area and both P and Q turret have been displaced by approximately 40 metres."

Barrow has retained strong links with the 563-foot-long ship following her demise. In 1989, the ship's bell was returned to its birthplace, and is on display in the Dock Museum.


Dock Museum collections manager Sabine Skae with the bell Attempts to have the bell permanently handed over to the Orkneys have been resisted by local historians, including the museum's collections manager Sabine Skae.

The Huskyan diving team, who hope to borrow the ship's bell for a centenary later this year, will eventually publish a full report which will be made available to the MOD, Historic Environment Scotland, Orkney Marine Services and other interested organisations.

"The purpose of the survey is to tell the story of HMS Vanguard after 100 years underwater," Emily added.

"We also hope to offer a sensitive contribution to the centenary commemoration in July this year.

"We are very sensitive to the historical importance of this wreck and are very aware of the loss of life, and the strict terms of the MoD licence granted to us, which prevent intrusive activity.

"As we commemorate the First World War and in particular the 100-year anniversary of her sinking, we hope that this survey data will add to our historic knowledge of this era of warship construction and help maintain the memory of HMS Vanguard and the sacrifice made by her crew."

HMS VANGUARD: FACTFILE


Vanguard was a 19,560-ton battleship launched at Barrow in February 1909. The ship was commissioned at the beginning of March 1910.

She had 10 main guns with a 12-inch barrel diameter and 12 four-inch guns, a pair of anti-aircraft guns and three torpedo tubes.

Vanguard could make 21.7 knots and had a range of 6,900 nautical miles.

The battleship was the eighth vessel to bear the name Vanguard, which means to be in 'the forefront of action or movement'.

The ship was powered by steam turbines made by Vickers and capable of generating 25,830hp.

FROM THE VICKERS ARCHIVE

Laid down 2 April 1908.

Launched 22 February 1909 by Mrs R McKenna.

Completed 1 March 1910.

19250 tons displacement.

536 feet overall * 530 feet wl * 500 feet pp * 83.9 feet * 43.1 feet depth.

Parsons turbines, four screws by Vickers, and of 25830 SHP giving 22 knots.

Babcock & wilcox boilers.

Bunkers 900 tons, stowage for 2700 tons coal, plus fuel oil.

Armament ten 12 inch, twenty 4 inch, three 18 inch torpedo tubes, plus lighter guns.