WRECKED
The stern torpedo tube
PHOTO : RICK AYRTON forgotten about by almost everyone and , at some point , presumed to be UC-49 instead . We dived her one hundred years later . One of the conditions of the licence to dive Formidable was that we needed a serving member of the Royal Navy on board every time we visited , and , by a happy coincidence , we had a submariner in the team on this weekend .
What next ? We spoke to Historic England , who commissioned a team of specialist underwater archaeologists . Our team was hoping to join them but , sadly , the pandemic put paid to all the fieldwork .
Instead , one of their ROV pilots reviewed Jacob ’ s GoPro footage and our other images , comparing them to the submarine ’ s original plans . The final report is tremendous , and we expect it will be released publicly soon . It confirmed our identification and recommended that the wreck be formally protected , because of its historical importance and excellent condition .
On 26 April 2021 , D1 was scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act , 1979 . Divers can still visit the site without a license , on a ‘ look but don ’ t touch ’ basis . It is a criminal offence to damage or remove anything from the wreck . Hefin Meara of Historic England said that “ the identification of the wreck by the team was an amazing piece of detective work , and we ’ re delighted that the remains of this important early submarine have been given protection .”
Only now , more than two years after the dive , can we finally write about it . What a thrilling project to be involved in ! Pandemic permitting , we are diving two more targets for Michael this year . Lightning can ’ t strike twice , can it ? �
Online extra
The dive team prepares to celebrate
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