Latest news with #HMSNottingham
Daily Record
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Divers find wreckage of WW1 warship off Scottish coast 109 years after sinking
A team of ten divers from ProjectXplore identified the wreck 60 miles off the Scottish coast at a depth of 82 metres. 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.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Divers find lost Royal Navy warship 109 years after WW1 sinking
Divers have found the wreckage of a Royal Navy warship in the North Sea - more than 100 years after it was sunk during World War Nottingham was identified 60 miles off the coast of Scotland by a team of ten divers led by ProjectXplore, an international project that aims to locate historically-significant shipwrecks around the crew members were killed when the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine on 19 August resting place remained a mystery until ProjectXplore documented the site this month. The team said it had "no doubt" about the ship's identity due to its name stamp, dimensions, equipment and condition, which matched reports about the circumstances of the also found white dinner plates stamped with a Royal Navy blue crown emblem, as well as the embossed lettering "Nottingham" on the top of the Nottingham was struck three times on its port side while on a reconnaissance mission. The German U-boat had been spotted earlier that morning, but a crew member mistook it for a small fishing vessel. The captain, 20 officers and 357 other crew were rescued by two Royal Navy destroyers and survived. Multiple attempts were made to locate the ship over the following century, but all began investigating in September 2024, researching records such as ships' logs, telegrams and April, it surveyed the area with sonar cameras, finding evidence of a wreck with similar dimensions, layout and positioning to HMS Nottingham Three months' later, it carried out an expedition to the site, confirming the identity of the ship.
ITV News
21-07-2025
- General
- ITV News
WW1 ship HMS Nottingham lost for 110 Years discovered in North Sea
Footage from ProjectXplore of the underwater discovery shows parts of the ship still intact, with the name of the ship embossed on the body The wreck of a warship named after the city of Nottingham has been discovered after being lost for 110 years. The HMS Nottingham was sunk by a German submarine during the First World War. Despite attempts over the past century to locate her final resting place, the well-preserved wreck had been hidden until now. An international team of divers discovered the Royal Navy warship 60 miles offshore in the North Sea. Divers found some parts still intact and well-preserved, with nine 6-inch guns, the original wooden decking in place and white dinner plates stamped with a Royal Navy blue crown. 38 sailors lost their lives when the ship sank on 19 August 1916, some were no older than teenagers at the time. The captain, 20 officers and 357 crew were rescued. According to research by ProjectXplore, sailors abandoned ship only at the last minute, with the HMS Nottingham reportedly firing at the German submarine until she sank. Similar ships named after other towns and cities were sold for breaking up in the 1920s to 1940s. Until her discovery, the HMS Nottingham was the last missing Royal Navy cruiser of the First World War. The ship was found by deep sea exploration team ProjectExplore in April, with divers returning to explore the ruins in July. After months of research of ships' logs, telegrams and charts, divers Leo Fielding and Dan McMullen in April used underwater cameras to survey an area of the North Sea. In a report, they wrote about the moment they realised they had discovered the ship's ruins: "Eyes glued to the laptop, it seemed as if the waterfall wastaking an eternity to update. "Suddenly, the faint but unmistakable straight, narrow lines of the hull of a warship appeared on the starboard channel of the waterfall." They returned three months later from 14 to 20 July with a team of divers. Fielding and McMullen write: "With the exception of the bow area, the wreck's state of preservation was excellent... "Heading towards the stern, the team immediately noticed the lettering embossed 'NOTTINGHAM' just below the gunwales at the stern, next to a porthole looking into the Captain's day cabin. The wooden decking laid astern and amidships was still in place, with the davits lying across the deck... "Moving forward, on the port side behind the bridge, white plates were found stamped with a Royal Navy blue crown emblem, depicting alternating stern and sail motifs."
Sky News
21-07-2025
- General
- Sky News
Divers discover Royal Navy warship HMS Nottingham 110 years after it was lost in action
Divers have discovered HMS Nottingham, a Royal Navy warship, 110 years after it was lost in action during World War I. The warship's wreck was located in the North Sea by a team of international divers from the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Spain. The team, operating under the banner ProjectXplore, extensively researched ships' logs, telegrams and charts before sonar scans revealed a wreck with similar dimensions, layout and position 60 miles offshore. Technical divers found HMS Nottingham lying on the seabed at a depth of 82 metres. On board, they found white dinner plates stamped with a Royal Navy blue crown emblem, depicting alternating stern and sail motifs as well as the embossed lettering "NOTTINGHAM" across the top of the stern. The Project Xplore crew said it had "no doubt" the wreck is that of HMS Nottingham, because of the ship's name stamp, her dimensions, main armament, anchor equipment, armour, propulsion and the fact that her condition on the seabed today closely matches reports of the circumstances of her loss. The Royal Navy warship, a Town-class light cruiser, was struck by three torpedoes on the port side and subsequently sunk on 19 August, 1916, after an encounter with German submarine U-52, part of the German high seas fleet. The captain, 20 officers and 357 crew were rescued by two Royal Navy destroyers, but 38 British soldiers were killed, some of whom were just teenagers. Despite numerous attempts over the past century to locate the ship's final resting place, the wreck had remained elusive until now. The divers found that much of the wreck's superstructure is still in place above the ship, which in some places rises eight to 10 metres high from the seabed. They also located a clear break forward of the bridge on the port side, which matches reports that two of the torpedo explosions struck there. HMS Nottingham is "remarkably intact" despite her battle scars, according to ProjectXplore. The ship is the best-preserved Town-class cruiser in the world, due to the vast majority of the others being sold for breaking up in the 1920s-1940s. Until her discovery, HMS Nottingham was the last missing Royal Navy cruiser of World War I.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Nottingham Council House glows blue to mark anniversary
Nottingham's Council House has been glowing in a bright hue of blue this city-centre landmark in Market Square is being illuminated in the evenings to mark 75 years of the East Midlands Royal Navy Reserve being based in the city is more than 50 miles from the nearest coastline, Nottingham and the wider region has "deep maritime connections", according to the Royal Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA), with four ships having been named HMS Nottingham. The city council said in a Facebook post that the building would be illuminated throughout the week. The first Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve unit was established in the Lace Quarter in 1949. Since then, the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) has had a presence in the city and the unit was commissioned as HMS Sherwood in 1984. Today the naval base is in Sacha Brooks RNR, the Commanding Officer of HMS Sherwood said: the unit was "very gratified that council retains its strong relationship with the reserves". "This is a recognition of the servers and also the Royal Marines as well. We really are like a family" she added. Commander Brooks recalled being granted the "freedom of the city" in 2018. On 20 March, the reserves will hold a reception at the council house to mark its 75-year presence in the city which is set to be attended by local dignitaries and supported of the Armed Services from across the region.
