Spider crab on the starboard hull
PHOTO: KIRSTY ANDREWS
Conger eel near the bow
An anglerfish shelters inside Defensive cuttlefish child and by the early 1970s was diving the wreck during police search unit training.
His buddy was a keen underwater photographer and videographer, and the early grainy images he shared at the conference were evocative of those early dives. Sue Syson remembers getting into trouble as a child when she followed her
A montage of authorised finds from the wreck
For years, the James’ masts stood clear of the water
father and swam out to the wreck from the shore. She also went on to dive the wreck for many decades. The pair described how they have seen the wreck and its wildlife change. In the 1970s the wreck was known for its splendid covering of plumose anemones, but by the 2020s these were no longer there.
Diver and marine biologist Keith Hiscock, an Associate Fellow at the Marine Biological Association, Plymouth, has tracked the marine life on the wreck over the years. Cold water kelps have been replaced by annual species. The brittle stars that were noted as covering the sides of the wreck in early published research papers, have long gone. It is interesting to consider the different ecosystems seen on steel versus rock reefs. Wreck reefs are affected by the painted metal surfaces turning to rust, affecting the types of encrusting life seen. One thing unchanged by time, however, is the view from the seabed looking up at the ship’ s razor sharp, incredibly tall prow.
Keith is keen to understand marine life on the James Eagan Layne during the 1970s and 1980s. If you have any underwater images from that time, please contact Keith at khis @ mba. co. uk
Ongoing mysteries
Peter Holt, a director of the SHIPS Project, talked about some of the less well-known research opportunities that the ship has provided. Project volunteers, mainly Plymouth University students, have
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