General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
HMS Exmouth found:
Posted by:
Visje
()
Date: June 27, 2001 05:12PM
<HTML>LONDON, June 27 (AFP) - Divers have located the wreck of a
British World War II destroyer sunk off the northeast coast of
Scotland, Britain\'s Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed
Wednesday.
HMS Exmouth, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in
January 1940, was found off the coast of Wick, Caithness, following a three
year search. The discovery was made by members of the European Technical
Dive Centre, based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Isles, in an operation
backed by the MoD and relatives of those who died.
Divers placed a plaque of remembrance on the wreck in memory
of the entire 189 crew who died when the vessel sank.
The Exmouth went down as it was escorting the Cyprian Prince,
a merchant vessel loaded with supplies for building wartime
defences, from Aberdeen to Scapa Flow on January 21, 1940.
The bodies of 15 crew which were washed ashore a week later
were buried at a mass grave in Wick, but were not individually
identified. One of the divers, Mark Reeves, said the destroyer had been
\"blown apart\" by the impact of the torpedo.
\"It was obvious from our survey the destroyer sank immediately.
Large quantities of live munitions are strewn over the vessel,\" he
said.
Another diver, Alex Deas, said: \"The wreck had become an
underwater garden of stunning beauty, covered with bright hydroids,
anemones and starfish.
\"I have never seen so much sea life on any other wreck in the
world. It is most fitting that the site has been transformed from
one of death and destruction to a scene of tranquility and life
</HTML>
British World War II destroyer sunk off the northeast coast of
Scotland, Britain\'s Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed
Wednesday.
HMS Exmouth, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in
January 1940, was found off the coast of Wick, Caithness, following a three
year search. The discovery was made by members of the European Technical
Dive Centre, based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Isles, in an operation
backed by the MoD and relatives of those who died.
Divers placed a plaque of remembrance on the wreck in memory
of the entire 189 crew who died when the vessel sank.
The Exmouth went down as it was escorting the Cyprian Prince,
a merchant vessel loaded with supplies for building wartime
defences, from Aberdeen to Scapa Flow on January 21, 1940.
The bodies of 15 crew which were washed ashore a week later
were buried at a mass grave in Wick, but were not individually
identified. One of the divers, Mark Reeves, said the destroyer had been
\"blown apart\" by the impact of the torpedo.
\"It was obvious from our survey the destroyer sank immediately.
Large quantities of live munitions are strewn over the vessel,\" he
said.
Another diver, Alex Deas, said: \"The wreck had become an
underwater garden of stunning beauty, covered with bright hydroids,
anemones and starfish.
\"I have never seen so much sea life on any other wreck in the
world. It is most fitting that the site has been transformed from
one of death and destruction to a scene of tranquility and life
</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
HMS Exmouth found:
|
Visje | 06/27/2001 05:12PM |