That evening was spent on Fair Isle , a stunningly beautiful island between Shetland and Orkney . The marine and bird life is incredible , with gannets , puffins , boxies and fulmars everywhere . Most of the team took the opportunity to stretch their legs and have a walk around this beautiful isle . Some brave souls even managed a nippy swim .
With the buzz of finding HMS Hoste still in our hearts , we started Day 4 , excited about whether we would get three from three . Would this next dive be a successful one ?
Looking for identity clues amongst the wreckage
UKDIVING
One of the propellers well buried in the sand
Ammunition on the wreck of HMS Hoste
The imagery on the sonar was positive , the water looked clear , and team ’ s morale was high . The underwater visibility was 30m plus . HMS Negro gave up its secrets rapidly , with both the bell and its footplate displaying the name , and easy enough to find . The Yarrow boilers , along with gun barrels and torpedo tubes , further ensured that there was no doubt at all .
The jubilation on the surface was incredible . We had completed the project ’ s aims , and so we grudgingly returned to Orkney . There was the consideration of the second segment of the ‘ Hoste ’ wreck . However , after four days of diving and with a charted depth of 112m , we decided that it was one step too far .
With two diving days left and many miles to cover , the team decided to have a final punt on what was jokingly referred to as the finless ( no conning tower ) submarine .
With an obvious sonar target and a challenging tidal flow , the shot was finally deposited and the divers descended to 93m to what was definitely not a submarine but most likely a steam trawler . Research is now being conducted by the Lost in Waters Deep team to identify this wreck . Hopefully we will be able to update readers as soon as we can with further information .
Discovery of the Negro ’ s bell
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