HMS Vanguard 1917
Marker: recorded wreck position (First World War).
Key facts
| Name | HMS Vanguard | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1917 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | First World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | battleship, dreadnought | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | Fire or explosion | Wikidata P828 has cause (on P793 event): explosion |
| 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. 7 km from land |
| Position | 58.8571, -3.1075 | Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0) |
About the wreck
HMS Vanguard was one of three St Vincent-class dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She spent her career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets. Aside from participating in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 and the inconclusive action of 19 August several months later, her service during World War I mostly consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea.
Shortly before midnight on 9 July 1917 at Scapa Flow, Vanguard suffered a series of magazine explosions. She sank almost instantly, killing 843 of the 845 men aboard. The wreck was heavily salvaged after the war, but was eventually protected as a war grave in 1984. It was designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, and diving on the wreck is generally forbidden.
Diving & visiting
Vanguard's wreck was heavily salvaged in search of non-ferrous metals before it was declared a war grave in 1984. Some of the main armament and armour plate was also removed.
The wreck and its associated debris cover a large area and lies at a depth of approximately 34 metres (111 ft 7 in) at 58.8566°N 3.1062°W / 58.8566; -3.1062. The amidships portion of the ship is almost completely gone and 'P' and 'Q' turrets were blown some 40 metres (130 ft) away. The bow and stern areas are almost intact as has been revealed by an extensive survey, carried out by a team of volunteer specialist divers and authorised by the Ministry of Defence in 2016. A report of the survey was published in April 2018.
Location
- Recorded position: 58.8571, -3.1075 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (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 Vanguard (1909) (revision 1374708406), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Wreck”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- SS Prudentia and HMD Chance, Scapa Flow 2 km
- SM UB-116 3 km
- SMS Dresden 1919 · 3 km
- S54 salvage site, Scapa Flow 4 km
- SMS S36 1919 · 4 km
- SMS König 4 km
Other wrecks of the World War I
- SM UC-3 1916
- SMS Greif 1916
- SMS Kronprinz 1916
- SMS Pommern 1916
- SMS Wiesbaden 1916
- HMS Ariadne 1917
- HMS Attack 1917
- HMS G9 1917
- HMS Ghurka 1917
- HMS Laforey 1917
All 163 wrecks of the World War I →
Browse more: UK & Ireland wrecks · wrecks off Scotland · North Atlantic Ocean · First World War