First World War shipwreck found
- On 15/11/2008
- In World War Wrecks
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From The Scotsman
A British ship which sank after being accidentally rammed by its own side during the First World War has been seen for the first time in 90 years.
The wreck of the destroyer HMS Nessus had lain undiscovered off the coast of Wick in Caithness since 1918 until it was found by a team from an Orkney dive boat last week.
Wreck researcher Kevin Heath of Stromness, Orkney, pinpointed its location using naval records and the dive-boat skipper, Andy Cuthbertson, led divers to it.
The Nessus was returning to Rosyth naval base with another destroyer, HMS Maenad, when the vessels hit a fog bank. The Maenad rammed the Nessus while attempting to avoid German submarines, holing it in the engine room.
As the ship was towed to harbour, the weather worsened and it sank. All its crew survived.
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