HMS Vanguard: World War One ship's bell recovered after 108 years
The project has taken three years of planning and has involved the Ministry of Defence, Orkney Islands Council (OIC), the NMRN and the Scottish government.The sinking of HMS Vanguard is believed to be the biggest accidental loss of life in a single incident in the history of the Royal Navy.The St Vincent-class dreadnought - a veteran of the Battle Of Jutland - was anchored alongside the rest of the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow on 9 July 1917 when an explosion in a magazine saw her blow up and sink in just a few short moments.
Only three of the 848 men onboard survived, one of whom died later from his injuries.The wreck lies at a depth of 34m (110ft) and is protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act (1986) as a Sovereign Immune Wreck.Special permission was secured to bring the artefacts to the surface which lay outside the wreck's current exclusion zone.
Wendy Sadler lost her great-grand uncle Henry Metcalf in the sinking of HMS Vanguard and is leading a project to try and find photos of as many of the crew as possible.She said it was an emotional moment to be able to see and touch the bell."A hundred years-plus ago your relatives looked at it, heard it ringing," she said."To think of what happened to them that night, losing their lives, and it is not seen for another 110 years - it is a privilege and an honour."We can't stop doing things like this - them fading into history - we've got to keep their memory alive somehow."
Experts believe that the tampion is made from horse hair and leather and could have been preserved by silt.The bell is distorted from the force of the explosion. It was found about 200m (650ft) from where the ship would have been located.Nick Hewitt, a naval historian and also the culture team leader at Orkney Islands Council which runs a number of museums, thinks the bell will resonate with those who see it.
"Our visitors will look at the bell and they will immediately feel what happened to that ship because it is distorted from the explosion - it is missing the crown that should be on top," he said."It has a hole on the top instead of a crown."Our plan is not to fully restore it, it is not going to look bright and shiny like the Royal Oak bell in the cathedral."
The project to recover the objects came about after survey work was undertaken by a team of divers led by Emily Turton, leading up to the centenary commemorations in 2017.They spent a total of 500 hours mapping together the wreck site, which is spread over a large area.She said it was emotional to be involved in a project which she had been part of for a number of years.She added: "It was lovely to find artefacts that really pertained to the ship, rather than wreckage, along with other personal artefacts."There are musical instruments on Vanguard, there are the clothes and shoes they would have worn so those really have a personal connection."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hopes fence will stop 'illegal encampments' in Sittingbourne park
Fencing will be installed around a recreation ground in Kent to help prevent "illegal encampments", a council has Borough Council is putting "knee rail" fencing around Milton Regis recreation ground, near Sittingbourne, because vehicles have driven on to the area three times this council says removing the encampments, cleaning up after them and carrying out any repairs costs local taxpayers thousands of pounds each 1,476ft (450m) of wooden fencing will be roughly 1.6ft (50cm) high and will be paid for through funding set aside for open space improvements, the council said. Part of the recreation ground already has fencing around its edge. The new fencing will cover the Wooster, chair of the council's environmental services and climate change committee, said: "So far this year, Milton Rec has seen three illegal encampments and residents have expressed their concerns on how it impacts their use of the recreation ground."Each incident also costs local council taxpayers thousands of pounds to remove, along with the costs of cleaning the site, waste removal and carrying out repairs."We need to follow a number of legal steps – welfare checks, legal notices and, when necessary, court applications - which takes up valuable resources."We want to prevent further incidents and have been trying to find ways to retain the original use of the park."Ms Wooster said the fencing would stop vehicles getting into the park without losing the "formal but open feel" of the the area.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Last surviving WW2 Victoria Cross holder dies aged 105
Britain's last surviving Second World War Victoria Cross recipient has died aged 105. Flt Lt John Cruickshank, from Aberdeen, received the VC for bravery during an attack on an enemy submarine that left him seriously injured. A total of 181 people received Britain's highest military decoration for their actions during the war. The RAF captain's family told the BBC he died last week and that a funeral would be held in private, the news outlet reported on Saturday. In May 2020, The Telegraph reported how he declined a birthday cake from the RAF to mark his 100th birthday because he did not want to make a fuss. Living in sheltered accommodation in Aberdeen, he said he wanted nothing more than a 'quiet day'. Flt Lt Cruickshank was the captain of a Catalina flying boat with 210 Squadron, flying submarine-hunting missions from RAF Sullom Voe, in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. On July 17 1944, aged 24, he was sent on a patrol to protect the British Home Fleet as it returned from an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. A U-boat was spotted on the surface near Norway and the aircraft he was piloting as captain launched an offensive. The first bombs failed to release but Flt Lt Cruickshank turned the plane to face enemy fire and attack again. He dropped depth charges during the second attempt, sinking the U-boat, but he sustained 72 injuries including two to his lungs and 10 to his lower limbs during the assault. The navigator was killed, three other crew members were severely injured, and the badly damaged aircraft was filled with fumes from exploding shells. After the victory, Flt Lt Cruickshank left the cockpit but refused painkillers and continued to advise his second pilot who had taken control. The surviving crew members spent five and a half hours flying back to Sullom Voe. Despite losing consciousness multiple times during their return, he assisted the second pilot with the landing which took an hour. In 2013, Flt Lt Cruickshank said: 'It was just normal, we were trained to do the job and that was it. 'I wouldn't like to say I'm the only one that has an amazing story, there are plenty of other stories coming from that time. 'It wasn't that wonderful in those days, I can tell you that. We could only think in those days there were better days to come.' After the war ended, he returned to his career in banking.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Belief in God doubles among young people
A belief in God has doubled among young people in the past four years. More than one third of 18 to 24-year-olds now believe in a supernatural deity, up from just 16 per cent in 2021. The YouGov survey findings also reveal that atheism – the belief of no God – has fallen in the same age group from 49 per cent in August 2021 to 32 per cent. The poll, which did not break down the respondents by religion, appeared to support claims of increased belief in Britain amid a 'quiet revival' in churches and the growing Muslim population. 'Spiritual awakening' The Rt Rev Jill Duff, the Bishop of Lancaster, told The Telegraph that Britain was undergoing a 'spiritual awakening'. 'I'm not surprised by this,' she said. 'It is very much what we are seeing on the ground in our churches. 'There has been a trend in this direction – that the younger you are, the more spiritually open you are – for quite a number of years, and we are seeing a real openness to God and Christianity and especially to the supernatural in the younger age-group. 'I think there is a spiritual awakening. Covid led to a big increase in prayer – for example, there is a global week of '24/7 Prayer' coming up in September. 'The data is that as people pray, the nation spiritually awakens. That has been the case for generations.' The research also identified smaller increases in belief in other age groups during the same period. Among those aged 25 to 49, belief in God has increased from 21 to 25 per cent between 2021 and 2025, with atheism declining from 45 to 42 per cent. In the 50 to 64 age bracket, belief in God has remained consistent at 27 per cent, but atheism has declined from 41 to 36 per cent. But for those aged 65 and above, belief in God has decreased from 35 to 32 per cent and atheism has increased from 30 to 35 per cent. The figures indicate that the long-term decline of faith in Britain could be beginning to change. Church attendance has declined significantly since the middle of the 20th century, with those going to a Church of England service estimated to have fallen by 1.5 per cent every year since the 1950s. The 2021 census also revealed that Christians now account for less than half of the population of England and Wales for the first time in recorded history. 'Quiet revival' of Christians Other recent research also indicates that this decline in religious observance may be slowing amid mass immigration and a claimed 'quiet revival' of Christians. The Bible Society found earlier this year that 16 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds were monthly churchgoers, up from just four per cent in 2018. The research identified particular increases in attendance at Roman Catholic and Pentecostal churches. Bible sales in the UK have also almost doubled in the last five years. In 2019, sales totalled £2.69 million, but in 2024 they stood at £5.02 million, according to figures from Nielsen BookScan. Census data also shows Britain's Muslim population has increased in the past decade, rising from 2.7 million in 2011 to 3.9 million in 2021 – almost 50 per cent of whom were under 24. There was also a 5.7 per cent increase in the Jewish population between 2011 and 2021, up from 271,904 to 287,360.
