Hms Rose Valley

UKHO Identifier : 059275

Feature Class : Wreck

Wreck Category : Dangerous wreck

State : LIVE

Classification : Unclassified

Position (Lat/long) : 58.82623,-3.15242

Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)

WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.82582,-3.15400

WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)

Position Quality : Precisely known

Depth : 9.0

Depth Method : Found by diver

Depth Quality : Depth known

Water Depth : 15

Water Level Effect : Always under water/submerged

Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide

Name : HMS ROSE VALLEY

Type : S DRIFTER

Flag : BRITISH

Length : 26.5

Beam : 6.1

Draught : 3.1

Orientation : 0.0

Tonnage : 100

Tonnage Type : Gross

Date Sunk : 16/12/1943

Contact Description : Entire wreck

Original Sensor : Diver Sighting

Original Detection Year : 2001

Original Source : Divers

Circumstances of Loss : **EX-SILT. BUILT IN 1918 BY HERD & MCKENZIE, FINDOCHTY, FOR A JACK OF INVERNESS. OWNED AT TIME OF LOSS BY THE ROYAL NAVY. HIRED 10.39 FOR THE EXAMINATION SERVICE. SINGLE BOILER, TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINE OF 42HP, SINGLE SHAFT. MACHINERY BY YEAMAN & BAGGESON, DUNDEE. USED FOR CARRYING TORPEDOES. LOST FOLLOWING COLLISION.

Surveying Details : **HH100/351/17 23.3.01 LIES IN 5849.574N, 0309.145W [OGB]. STANDS ABOUT 5MTRS HIGH IN GEN DEPTH 15MTRS. WOODEN HULLED. ONLY THE ENGINE ROOM AND THE WHEELHOUSE REMAIN UPRIGHT. STEEL PROP AND LOTS OF TIMBERS SCATTERED ABOUT. LIES N/S WITH BOWS S. VESSEL WAS USED FOR CARRYING TORPEDOES. (K HEATH, EMAIL DTD 23.3.01).

**HH268/440/05 28.3.01. INS AS WK 9MTRS. - NM 1807/01.

General Comments : UPRIGHT, WELL COLLAPSED, BOWS S

Chart Symbol : WK 9.0

Date Last Amended : 23/03/2001

The Scapa Flow 2013 Marine Archaeology Survey Project, commissioned by Historic Scotland, undertook remote sensing surveys and archaeological diving evaluations at some of the sites within Scapa Flow, Orkney and at the Churchill Barriers.

The project aimed to establish or confirm the identification, extent of survival, character and condition of around 28 known but mostly poorly recorded First and Second World War wreck sites, 8 salvage sites, several sites thought to be associated with Second World War Boom Defences, and a limited sample of geophysical features identified in previous studies (Project Adair).

The work built on that of previous surveys including those completed as part of the ScapaMap Project (2001 and 2006) and by Wessex Archaeology Scapa Flow Wrecks Survey (2012), amongst others.

The project was completed by ORCA Marine and SULA Diving

58 49.574 N 3 09.145 W This site was assessed by side scan sonar surveys using a winch-towed towfish.

The side scan images show the remains of a vessel measuring 20m long by 6m beam. The length comprises 13m of intact remains (stern/midships) and a further 7m of well dispersed/broken debris (bow). The vessel is oriented east to west with the bow to the east.

Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014

58 49.574 N 3 09.145 W The remains lie on a mud-sand bottom in 9m – 15m of water, in an area with slight tide and have a moderate coverage of tall animal turf. The majority of the vessel stands upright. The stern, engine room and bridge are the most intact sections, while those forward of the bridge including the bow are more extensively broken up with much of the wreckage at seabed level. Most of the wood has been destroyed, although some deck and hull fragments and ribs remain.

The steel propeller and propeller shaft are in situ at the stern and a water-tank, the bottom of air vents and a pair of bitts were visible in the wreckage in this area. There is evidence of concrete ballast at the bottom of the vessel on the starboard side. A galley in the stern section contained a cooker. The head (including the remains of a ceramic toilet) is in situ at deck level on the port side. This is accessed through a door which is clearly visible on historic photos of the vessel. This is one feature that confirms the identity of the wreckage.

Moving forward, several hatches and a skylight provide access to the engine room which contains the remains of a triple expansion engine, a Scotch boiler, a crew access walkway, and miscellaneous pipework and valves.

Midships, the structure of bridge deck remains intact, although the ceiling and sides are broken down. This remains the highest point on the vessel. Kevin Heath who reported the wreckage noted that a steel steering helm from the bridge was visible on previous dives. This was not identified during these surveys and it is possible that this has collapsed and is under other wreckage.

As noted the remains forward of the bridge are very broken up. There were a number of wood and steel plates, and some wooden ribs amongst the debris in this section and a capstan drum winch associated with wood and steel sheeting situated near the bow.

Parts of the wreck have been fouled by entangled lines.

Analysis

Examination of the remains in conjunction with historical photographs confirms the wreck is that of the HMD Rose Valley. A British steam drifter, the vessel was a wooden ship with a steel framework around the bridge and engine room. Built in 1918 by Herd & Mckenzie in Findochty for a Jack of Inverness the HMD Rose Valley was hired by the Admiralty in 1939 and was used to carry torpedoes. The vessel sunk following a collision on the 16th December 1943. Though carrying torpedoes at the time of the collision, these were subsequently recovered (Wood 2008). No torpedoes were found in the remains. Although occasionally visited by recreational divers, the site was only added to the chart by Kevin Heath in 2001 and has not been surveyed before. It should be noted that the orientation of the wreck recorded as laying east-west is contrary to the description in the Canmore and UKHO records for the HMD Rose Valley which suggests the vessel lies north-south with the bow to the south.

Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014