Sunk battleship surveyed
Published: 03 August, 2016
A secret mission to persuade Tsar Nicholas II of Russia to stay in the First World War failed when Britain’s Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener and over 700 sailors died in the sinking of the warship HMS Hampshire after it hit a mine off the Orkney Isles. 100 years later a Saab Seaeye Falcon underwater robotic system operated by Roving Eye Enterprises examined the wreck in a collaborative project that included the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, with licensed permission from the Ministry of Defence.
Sandra Henry, a marine archaeologist from the Institute said that the remote survey had 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.
Although there have been two previous surveys of the ship, this is the first extensive mapping of the wreck site since it sank.
Roving Eye Enterprises, based in the Orkney Isles in the far North of Scotland, were chosen for the project because of their long experience at working in demanding sea conditions whilst undertaking precision filming and survey tasks.
Saab Seaeye Ltd 01489 898000 matt.bates@saabgroup.com www.seaeye.com
Roving Eye Enterprises Ltd 01856 811360 info@orkneyrovspecialist.co.uk www.orkneyrovspecialist.co.uk
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