Explorers have discovered the wreck of the HMS Hawke, a British warship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War I, lying on the seabed off the coast of Scotland. The vessel, lost for over a century, was located by a team of divers working with the organization Lost In Waters Deep, which specializes in chronicling naval losses.
The HMS Hawke was sunk on October 15, 1914, in the North Sea after being struck by a German U-boat. The ship went down in less than eight minutes, killing 524 of the 594 sailors on board. The wreck was found approximately 70 miles east of Fraserburgh, Scotland, at a depth of about 360 feet.
Kevin Heath, co-founder of Lost In Waters Deep, and a group of divers, including the team known as the Gasperados, identified the wreck after analyzing historical records and scanning the seabed. The team confirmed the wreck’s identity through its structural features, including intact guns and preserved wooden decks, which matched the characteristics of the HMS Hawke.
Lost in Waters Deep, a group that searches for shipwrecks, appears to have found the wreck of the HMS Hawke, a cruiser boat torpedoed by a German submarine during World War One pic.twitter.com/Gef3W72WUu
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 18, 2024
Diver Will Schwarz, who participated in the exploration, described the wreck as being in remarkably good condition, with some of the ship’s original features, such as teak decks and naval crockery, still visible. The discovery was reported to the U.K. Hydrographic Office and the Royal Navy, which may grant the site protected status.
While the divers did not find any definitive identifying features, such as a named ship’s bell, they are confident that the wreck is the HMS Hawke, based on its location and the distinctive attributes of the ship. The Royal Navy is expected to formally identify the wreck in the coming weeks.
This discovery has not only shed light on a long-lost piece of naval history but also provided closure to the families of those who perished in the sinking. Heath has already received messages from descendants of the sailors, sharing stories and photographs of their ancestors.
The HMS Hawke’s sinking was one of the early naval tragedies of World War I, marking a significant loss for the Royal Navy.Â
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