Resting place of warship finally found
(From The Orcadian dated June 28, 2001)

'It is most fitting that the site has been transformed from one of death and destruction to one of tranquillity and life.'

The wreck of a World War Two destroyer - lost with all hands while trying to reach the safety of Scapa Flow - has been discovered by Orkney divers in deep water off Wick - the second find by local divers in a week.

Two men from the Extreme Dive Team, based in Burray, have identified the wreck of the HMS Exmouth - the same ship John Thornton of Kirkwall and his dive crew were looking for when they discovered the wreck of the fishing boat, Trident, on Sunday last week.

All 189 crew of the Exmouth perished when the destroyer went down in 1940 after being torpedoed by a German U-boat. They had been trying to reach the safe harbour of Scapa Flow.

It has lain undisturbed until now.

Vigorous attempts had been made by dive teams to find the Exmouth, but thanks to accurate researching by Dunfermline man Bob Baird and Kevin Heath, of Stromness, the Extreme Dive Team say they found the wreck within 20 minutes on Sunday.

The vessel lies in more than 50 metres or 160 feet of water - well beyond the limits of recreational diving. Divers, Alex Deas and Mark Reeves, used a triple mixture of gasses, including helium to reach her.

Mr Reeves claimed it was clear why the Exmouth sank so soon after the explosion.

"The torpedo that hit it did not simply make a hole, but literally blew the ship apart," he said. "It was evident from surveying the wreck that the Exmouth clearly sank immediately. Now it is a very beautiful site, in clear water."

Large quantities of live munitions were strewn across the vessel, as well as fishing nets, he added.

The Exmouth had been heading for Scapa Flow on January 21, 1940, after meeting her escort, the Cyprian Prince, off Aberdeen.

"Both ships steamed north as night fell", explained Mr Baird. "The sea was calm and visibility good. The Exmouth's stem light was still in sight of the Cyprian Prince at 4.44am when Clark (chief officer Albert Clark on watch on board the Cyprian Prince) heard one explosion, and thinking Exmouth was dropping depth charges, called Captain Wilson, who was in his bunk, to the bridge. Wilson had arrived on the bridge when, at 4.48am there was a second detonation, which Clark described as 'a terrific explosion, much louder than the first'."

At 4.50am, the Cyprian Prince stopped her engines to look for survivors. Voices were heard in the water and flashing lights were seen.

Captain Benjamin Wilson of the Cyprian Prince had ordered men to stand by the boats, ready to go and pick up the survivors, but decided that stopping to rescue them carried too great a risk of his own vessel being torpedoed.

At 4.56am he rang down for full ahead and turned to port, leaving the men in the water. The ship continued north alone with its urgent cargo of searchlights, anti-aircraft guns, trucks, cars and ammunition for the defence of Scapa Flow.

According to Mr Baird, the Admiralty claim the first news of the sinking of the Exmouth was when the Cyprian Prince reached Kirkwall at 1pm.

"This was despite the fact that Captain Wilson had attempted to send a visual signal by Aldis lamp to Noss Head, Duncansby Head and Muckle Skerry, as he passed each in turn, but had been unable to elicit any response."

A destroyer, rescue ships, trawlers and the Wick lifeboat rushed to the area and found one lifebuoy from the Exmouth, but no survivors. On January 28, bodies were washed ashore at Lybster. A mass funeral took place in Wick on January 31. Fifteen men were buried in a mass grave, Mr Baird said.

Among many things, the Admiralty Board of Enquiry debated whether the captain of the Cyprian Prince did the right thing in obeying Admiralty Defence of Merchant Shipping instructions in abandoning survivors, but concluded that his action had been correct.

"Captain Wilson was clearly badly affected by the episode and left Cyprian Prince after this voyage. He was 'not expected to return'. This same policy of not stopping to pick up survivors from torpedoed vessels was followed many times during the war, as it was considered that such an action increased to an unacceptable degree, the risk of the would-be rescuer's vessel also being torpedoed, leading to additional loss of life, the loss of valuable cargoes and the loss of further vital cargo-carrying capacity," Mr Baird said.

The successful challenge made by the U22 was commanded by Kapitanlieutenant Karl Heinrich Jenisch.

In his war diary he states that he came across a destroyer and a merchant ship - the Exmouth and the Tekla - which he attacked together. Both vessels sank almost immediately, he concluded.

Sue Reeves of the Extreme Dive Team, said they had been contacted by a group of relatives of men lost at the time, who asked if they could locate the wreck.

The team are sending video footage of the wreck taken during their dive to relatives and the Ministry of Defence.

An MoD spokesman said they had agreed, following a request by the Survivors' Association, to allow another dive to go ahead and for a memorial to be placed on the seabed next to the vessel.

They are currently waiting to receive the video footage before they can officially declare the vessel the HMS Exmouth.

As to whether or not the site will be officially named a war grave, or military maritime grave as these sites are now known, will be decided in the future.

Diver Mr Deas said: "The wreck had become an underwater garden of stunning beauty, covered with bright hydroids, anemones and starfish. It was teaming with shoals of large fish, with many lobsters, crabs and sea urchins sitting on the wreck.

"It is most fitting that the site has been transformed from one of death and destruction to one of tranquillity and life."

The Peterhead-registered fishing boat, Trident, found on Sunday of last week by John Thornton and his dive team has stirred up many emotions among relatives of the seven men who perished on October 3, 1974, when the ship went down.

Marine Accident Investigation inspectors were due to interview families in Peterhead this week.

According to a national newspaper report, the families are seeking an inquiry into the sinking using new technology available, although they do not want the wreck removed from its resting place.