HMS VANGUARD 100 Survey
Date October 2016 - February 2017
Event ID 1173568
Category Documentary Reference
Type Specialist Report
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1173568
The HMS VANGUARD 100 Survey was conducted between October 2016 and February 2017 under special licence from the Secretary of State for Defence. The survey was self-funded and conducted by volunteer professional divers. The purpose of the survey was to document this protected war grave after 100 years underwater. The project involved use of side scan sonar survey to identify the extent of the wreckage and debris field. Specialist divers conducted underwater surveys of the entire site using underwater mapping and forensic diving techniques. The wreck was documented using videography, stills photography and 3D photogrammetry.
The site is extensive and complicated. For the purposes of this survey, it was divided into three main sections: main wreck site, outer wreck site and the outer debris field. Further division was utilised to better manage survey activity, data recording and cataloguing. The bow and stern remain intact, severed during the explosion, they sank in situ and lie approximately 163m apart. All five twelve-inch gun turrets are present on the site, some displaced from their original position during the explosion. Substantial wreckage has been blown up, out and aft in the explosions. There is a notable “gap” in the main wreck at the location of the main, primary explosion consistent with the P and Q Turret magazine. Significant artefacts and architectural features have been discovered and documented. The marine life legacy of HMS VANGUARD as a relatively undisturbed site is substantial. The evidence of salvage is extensive. Evidence from sinking is broadly consistent with the Royal Navy Court of Enquiry. A significant quantity of ordnance remains on the wreck site.
Information from the Vanguard 100 project: Emily Turton, David Crofts, Dr Clare Fitzsimmons, Prof Chris Rowland, Prof Kari Hyttinen, Simon Kay, Lt Jen Smith, Bob Anderson, Marjo Tynkkynen, Kieran Hatton, Dr Joanna Porter, and Ben Wade (2018)
