Saab Seaeye’s Falcon Surveys HMS Hampshire Wreck
Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV operated by Roving Eye Enterprises examined the wreck of HMS Hampshire in a collaborative project that includes the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, with licensed permission from the Ministry of Defence.
A secret mission to persuade Tsar Nicholas II of Russia to stay in the WWI failed when Britain’s secretary of state for war Lord Kitchener and over 700 sailors died in the sinking of the HMS Hampshire after it hit a mine off the Orkney Isles.
Sandra Henry, a marine archaeologist from the Institute said that the remote survey has provided many new insights into the sinking and wreck of the HMS Hampshire, adding that ongoing work will continue to develop the knowledge base, revealing new information as they continue to gather and process data.
During the mission Roving Eye Enterprises deployed Falcon ROV and Nexus ultra short baseline position and tracking system.
The tracking system was provided and operated by Triscom Marine.
The survey confirmed previous findings that the ship capsized and sank following an explosion between the bow and the bridge, and lies upturned on the seabed in approximately 60 meters of water. The hull is also damaged in places throughout the length of the vessel, exposing parts of the interior, Saab Seaeye explained.
A ceremony marking the loss of lives was held at the Kitchener memorial located on the headland point off where the Hampshire sank a century ago.
