HMS Hampshire 1916
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Marker: recorded wreck position (First World War).
Key facts
| Name | HMS Hampshire | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1916 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | First World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | armored cruiser | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | United Kingdom | Wikidata P137 operator → P17 country |
| Operator | Royal Navy | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | World War I | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | North Atlantic Ocean | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Scotland | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 6 km from land |
| Position | 59.1171, -3.3959 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
HMS Hampshire was one of six Devonshire-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet upon completion. After a refit, she was assigned to the reserve Third Fleet in 1909 before going to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1911. She was transferred to the China Station in 1912 and remained there until the start of the First World War in August 1914.
The ship hunted for German commerce raiders until she was transferred to the Grand Fleet at the end of 1914. She was assigned to the 7th Cruiser Squadron upon her return home. She was transferred to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in 1916 and was present at the Battle of Jutland. Several days later, on 5 June, she was sailing to Arkhangelsk, Russia, carrying the Secretary of State for War, Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, when she is believed to have struck a mine laid by a German submarine. She sank with 737 of 749 people aboard killed, including Kitchener and his staff. Rumours later circulated of German spies and sabotage being involved in the sinking.
Diving & visiting
The wreck is designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 at coordinates 59°7.065′N 3°23.843′W and diving is forbidden without a licence. The ship is upside down at a depth of 180–230 feet (30–38 fathoms; 55–70 m) of water.
In 1983, one propeller and part of Hampshire's drive shaft were salvaged from the wreck. They are now on view at the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum, Lyness, Hoy, Orkney. Three Vickers 3 Pounder Mk II Quick-Firing deck guns were also salvaged from the wreck. In 2021, one of these was restored to its original condition by specialist conservators in Alloa, and is now on display in the foyer of the Scapa Flow museum.
The 737 Hampshire dead are commemorated on the right-hand side of the base at the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Winchester War Memorial outside Winchester Cathedral.
Location
- Recorded position: 59.1171, -3.3959 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: North Atlantic Ocean
- Nearest coast: Scotland
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article HMS Hampshire (1903) (revision 1375007529), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Wreck”, “Memorials”; condensed by selecting paragraphs and trimming at sentence boundaries; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- Burra Sound blockships, Scapa Flow 22 km
- SMS Emden 27 km
- SMS Bremse 27 km
- SMS Friedrich der Grosse 27 km
- SMS König Albert 27 km
- SMS Grosser Kurfürst 27 km
Other wrecks of the World War I
- SM U-12 1915
- SM U-7 1915
- SM UC-9 1915
- SMS Königsberg 1915
- SS Ancona 1915
- HMS Ardent 1916
- HMS Defence 1916
- HMS Falmouth 1916
- HMS Indefatigable 1916
- HMS Nottingham 1916
All 163 wrecks of the World War I →
Browse more: UK & Ireland wrecks · wrecks off Scotland · North Atlantic Ocean · First World War