SCUBAHUB
PHOTO : RICK AYRTON
PHOTO : DOM ROBINSON PHOTO : RICK AYRTON
Tech team solves 100-year mystery
THE FIRST WORLD WAR WRECK OF HMS Jason , lost for 100 years , has been located and dived by a team of BSAC divers , the Gasparados .
HMS Jason was an Alarm Class Torpedo Gunboat used for minesweeping ; it hit a mine in 1917 off the east coast of the island of Coll in the Hebrides .
The wreck was originally marked on nautical charts in 1919 , but had since been removed as no reliable location could be determined . The 25 men lost are
remembered in Oban ’ s Cathedral Church of St John the Divine .
Over the last five years , Orkney-based SULA Diving has worked with Bob Anderson of the dive vessel MV Clasina to survey the seabed around Coll in search of HMS Jason , eventually finding a promising location for the wreck . Lost in Waters Deep , a project researching First World War naval losses , researched the history of the vessel and on 12 and 13 April the Gasperados dived the wreck in 93m of water .
The Gasperados team includes BSAC divers from several clubs , including BSAC ’ s Head of Diving and Training , Dom Robinson . It is led by Steve and Barbara Mortimer , who also located HMS D1 and then conclusively identified the submarine U-95 .
HMS Jason ’ s location has been passed to the Ministry of Defence , in the hope it will be given appropriate protection .
A full account of the HMS Jason dive expedition , by team member Rick Ayrton , will appear in next month ’ s SCUBA .
Basker task
WITH THE SEASONAL ARRIVAL OF BASKING sharks around the UK coastline , BSAC is encouraging its members to report any sightings of these magnificent , yet endangered , animals .
Each year , from late Spring to October , basking sharks return to the UK coast to feed on rich pockets of plankton in the water .
In support of the Shark Trust and its basking shark sightings database , the BSAC community can now help scientists to build up vital data on the movement of ‘ baskers ’ in British waters . Basking sharks are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Although they are no longer targeted , they can still be caught as bycatch or become entangled in lost fishing gear . Monitoring , management , and further research is vital to ensure their survival . To report a basking shark sighting anywhere around the UK coast , go to https :// recording . sharktrust . org / sightings / record
PHOTO : SIMON ROGERSON
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