Divers find wreckage of WW1 warship off Scottish coast 109 years after sinking
The wreckage of HMS Nottingham, a Royal Navy warship lost during the First World War, has been discovered in the North Sea more than a century after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.
A team of ten divers from ProjectXplore, an international group dedicated to locating historically significant shipwrecks around the UK, identified the wreck 60 miles off the Scottish coast at a depth of 82 metres. The vessel had remained undiscovered for 109 years.
ProjectXplore confirmed the warship's identity through a combination of distinctive features and artefacts found at the site.
Divers recovered white dinner plates bearing a Royal Navy blue crown emblem, and spotted the word "Nottingham" embossed on the stern. The ship's dimensions, structure, and visible damage matched historical records of the sinking.
The team said they had "no doubt" the wreck was HMS Nottingham, citing the ship's name stamp, size, equipment, and condition, which aligned with reports from the time of the attack.
Built for the Royal Navy shortly before the outbreak of war, HMS Nottingham was a 457-foot Town-class light cruiser and part of the Birmingham sub-class.
She was completed in early 1914 and served in the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron (LCS) of both the Home and Grand Fleets throughout her career.
Nottingham took part in several major naval engagements in the early years of the war, including the battles of Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland. The cruiser helped to sink multiple German vessels during those confrontations.
The ship met her fate on August 19, 1916 during the so-called Action of 19 August, when she was struck by three torpedoes fired by the German submarine U-52.
The attack occurred while Nottingham was on a reconnaissance mission. Although the enemy vessel had been spotted earlier that morning, it was mistakenly identified by a crew member as a small fishing boat.
Thirty-eight sailors were killed in the attack. Among the casualties, thirty-one are commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, two on the Chatham Naval Memorial, and two on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Three bodies were later recovered from the sea and are buried in cemeteries in the UK and Norway.
Captain Charles B. Miller, 20 officers, and 357 crew members survived the sinking, having been rescued by two Royal Navy destroyers that responded to the distress.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Despite multiple efforts to locate HMS Nottingham over the past century, previous searches had all failed.
ProjectXplore began its investigation in September 2024, starting with an intensive review of original sources, including ship logs, telegrams and naval charts.
By April 2025, the team had surveyed a potential area of interest using sonar equipment, detecting a wreck that matched the dimensions, layout and orientation of HMS Nottingham.
A diving expedition three months later allowed the team to confirm the ship's identity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Bequest helps museum continue legacy in centenary year
The bequest will also be used to enhance and promote the Galleries and collections in years to come. While Ms Hubbard was born in Morningside, Edinburgh, in 1926, she grew up in Wemyssfield, [[Kirkcaldy]]. She went to Seaview Private School in the town and it was here that her passion for learning was nurtured. She developed a love for the arts and would spend a lot of time in the town's museum and art gallery with her parents. As it happens, the Galleries came into being as the result of another donation. When plans were being prepared for a war memorial to commemorate the soldiers who had died in World War One, local industrialist John Nairn donated further funding for it to be extended to include the creation of a gallery in memory of his only son, Ian, who died in France shortly before the armistice. Read More Argyll museum wins prestigious award after redevelopment success By coincidence, Ms Hubbard's father, Harry Hubbard, who was an architect in Kirkcaldy, was involved in drawing up the plans for the town's World War Two memorial. After leaving school, most of her working life was as a librarian at what was then [[Kirkcaldy]] Technical College, later to become Fife College. She never married and was known for giving many donations to worthy local causes. When she died in 2015, she left most of her estate 'for the benefit of Kirkcaldy Galleries.' Chris McLean, OnFife's Museum and Heritage Service Team Leader, explained: 'It took some time to settle Jean's estate, and it was not until 2023 that we began discussing how it should be used. 'We were very mindful of her wish that it be used for the benefit of Kirkcaldy and the Galleries, and with the Galleries' 100th anniversary coming up, along with the commemoration of the war memorial, which had also been given to the town and which her father had been closely involved in, it all tied in together and we started thinking about how to put this idea into action. Some of the money was used to purchase a piece of pottery, called the Referendum Teapot, by Scottish artist Susan McGill (Image: Supplied) 'With the centenary celebrations we wanted to be able to concentrate specifically on a special exhibition and other events around that, and we decided to create a temporary Project Curator post for a year to help do that. 'It was taken up on a job-share basis by two of our current team members, Jane Freel and Janice Crane, who have worked extremely hard with our Collections Development Manager, Nicola Wilson, and our Kirkcaldy Galleries' team to pull together all the activities around the KG100 events and exhibition.' Sadly, there are no paintings or photographs of Jean Hubbard but she is acknowledged in the A Century of Kirkcaldy Galleries exhibition that her bequest made possible. Some of the money was used to purchase a piece of pottery, called the Referendum Teapot, by Scottish artist Susan McGill. It was made to mark the Scottish independence referendum and reflects the thoughts and feelings of people at the time. The bequest has also been used to work with local groups such as the Beehive Nursery, with visits to the Galleries producing a wealth of animal-themed artwork for display in the art space, and with the Sewing Circle, which put together a banner illustrating 100 years of the Galleries in Kirkcaldy. With funding from Museums and Galleries Scotland, OnFife has also worked with The Hive, where young people from the LGBT+ community created a Pride banner which is on display in the centenary exhibition. And staff from OnFife worked alongside the Royal British Legion Scotland's Kirkcaldy branch to link the commemoration of 100 years of the War Memorial with the Galleries' centenary celebrations, including bringing Bud, Poppy Scotland's interactive touring exhibition to a Big Birthday Bash celebration in June, and culminating in a visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla in July 'We are very grateful to Jean Hubbard for her generosity which has enabled us to do a huge amount to celebrate the centenary and put the Galleries in the spotlight with displays and exhibitions,' said Chris McLean. 'From its very beginnings, the support of benefactors has enabled Kirkcaldy Galleries to become one of the best gallery spaces in Scotland and Jean Hubbard has continued that tradition, all to the benefit of the people of Kirkcaldy.' For more details of the centenary celebrations visit the KG100 page at
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Former First Minister's in-laws in Gaza 'can't even find grass or leaves to eat'
Dundee councillor Nadia El-Nakla, the wife of Humza Yousaf, said it was 'traumatising' to watch her relatives go through a 'living nightmare'. The wife of former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf has said the lives of her family in Gaza are 'hanging in the balance' as she accused Israel of starving two million people in the Strip. Nadia El-Nakla said her family could not even find grass, leaves or any animals to eat, amid an Israeli blockade on the amount of food and supplies going into the region. The Dundee councillor said it was 'traumatising' to watch her relatives go through a 'living nightmare'. She described the territory as 'hell on earth'. Asked on BBC Scotland's Drivetime programme if she thought she would ever get back to Gaza to see her family again, she said: 'I think Gaza is gone – I don't think Gaza will exist any more. 'The situation is just incredibly difficult, heartbreaking, traumatising for us to watch, and for them their life is now hanging in the balance.' She said her cousin Sally, a mother of four, has been moved to different tents 15 times after her house was destroyed. 'She has no food,' Ms El-Nakla said. 'She had a loaf of bread the other day that she was trying to save for her children. My other cousin told her, 'look, just eat grass, eat leaves, eat plants', and she said 'we can't even find them'. 'There's no cash either, so even if I sent her £1,000, she can't access that money, and there's no way for her to buy anything. So it's just a living nightmare – it's hell on earth.' She added: 'It's just, it's so devastating because her husband is going out every day, and they're so scared that he'll not come back because of the bombing, to try and find food, and he can't find any.' She said that even for those who can access money, the price of a kilo of sugar is about 200 dollars (£148), making it inaccessible for most. She urged world leaders to do more to force Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, amid warnings from aid agencies about mass starvation. Speaking about her cousin Sally, she said: 'She sent me a voicenote saying 'I hate the world – no-one is coming to help us', and I could hear her children in the background. 'That's what breaks my heart the most, is they know that no-one's coming to help them, and to have your child hungry, to be hungry yourself, how that feels to have hunger, and how you're supposed to look after your kids, and they're crying to you because they're hungry – like I say, it's a living nightmare.' She added: 'Now nothing exists. It's bare survival. 'They feel that they're all going to die and we're all watching them through the process of being terrified for their lives from bombs, from being shot at and having to run, which I've had calls with her where she's like, 'I can hear the gunfire', and she's having to run, and then now calls that there's no food there. 'It's a silent killer. They're killing them so slowly and quietly, but they're killing them at every single point. And it's just devastating to watch. It's heartbreaking. It's sickening.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Ms El-Nakla said she feels 'physically sick' hearing about her family's situation in Gaza, adding that she feels 'completely inadequate as a cousin, as a human being, that I can't do anything'. She said she was angry with the UK Government, which she said 'isn't doing anything' to 'try to stop the genocide'. She said aid must urgently be allowed in to stop the 'catastrophic starvation of two million people'. "We are living in a dystopia where we are just watching two million people slowly die,' she said. 'For our own humanity, how can we live with that? Our Government has to do something.' The UK Government and Israeli embassy in London have been approached
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Mysterious stone head found on tiny Scottish island of Rousay
The carved head found at Skaill Farm, Westness, Isle of Rousay, Orkney. PIC: UHI Archaeology Institute. | UHI Archaeology Institute The head was found during an archaeological dig at Skaill Farm Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A carved stone head found on a tiny Scottish island has been described as a 'fascinating enigma'. The head was found during an archaeological dig at Skaill Farm at Westness on Rousay in the Orkney Isles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With its 'beautifully carved locks of hair' and 'real character', the artefact is the latest find at the site. It was discovered during the university's annual summer excavation of the land at Skaill Farm. Skaill Farm has long been of interest to archaeologists given its long timeline, with the site a hive of activity during the Norse Period, when it was home to Viking chieftain Sigurd of Westness. The landscape features The Wirk tower and the remains of St Mary's Church, both which have been linked to the Norse era and which were later added to during the medieval period. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon, of the UHI Archaeology Institute said the discovery of the stone head indicated that a 'building of splendour' once stood nearby. The head is similar to stonework found at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, which dates to the early 12th Century. READ MORE: The ancient Orkney site where Picts and Vikings settled now under threat Dr Gibbon, one of the excavation co-directors, added : 'This is such an exciting find. 'Over the years excavating at Skaill and The Wirk – the nearby hall tower – we have found several interesting, moulded pieces of red sandstone but nothing like this. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The rich, red sandstone, with yellow inclusions, was likely quarried from the island of Eday and is the same as the moulded fragments from the nearby St Mary's old parish church.' 'For now, the Skaill head must remain a fascinating enigma in terms of date, origin and use, but its discovery, along with many other fine pieces of carved red sandstone, as well as those built into the nearby kirk, strongly suggests a building of some splendour once stood in the vicinity.' Rousay has often been dubbed the Athens of the North given its rich archaeological deposits, including at least 15 Neolithic chambered cairns, the earliest which dates to around 3,500 BC. In 2019, archaeologists made a breakthrough at Skaill Farm after the remains of a Norse great hall, likely used for drinking and gatherings from the 10th to 12th Century, stood on the land. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The place name of Skaill derives from the Norse for hall and long suggested the area was home to a high-status site. Following its discovery, the hall was linked to Sigurd of Westness, whose chieftainship of the area was documented in the Orkneyinga Saga. Archaeologists found stone benches running down each side of the hall, which is around 13-metres long and runs down a slope towards the coastline. The 13th century historical record documents that Sigurd of Westness was a friend of the 12th Century Earl of Orkney, Paul. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In 1136, Paul was staying with Sigurd at Westness when the notorious viking Sveinn Ásleifarson kidnapped the earl and spirited him away, leaving the Earldom open for Rognvald II to step in and take control. Other finds from Skaill Farm include soapstone from Shetland, pottery and a fragment of a Norse bone comb.
