Members of Isle of Man Sub- Aqua Club found themselves in a race against time to pinpoint the location of an important shipwreck in time for its double centenary . Story by Leigh Morris
UKDIVING
Dr Jon Chamberlain carries out photogrammetry filming
Rediscover the Racehorse !
Members of Isle of Man Sub- Aqua Club found themselves in a race against time to pinpoint the location of an important shipwreck in time for its double centenary . Story by Leigh Morris
December last year marked the 200- year anniversary of the sinking of HMS Racehorse , a Royal Navy Cruizerclass brig-sloop , off the southern tip of Langness Point , in sight of Castletown in the southeast of the Isle of Man ( IoM ). HMS Racehorse is a significant shipwreck , as it is claimed that it was the inspiration for William Hillary establishing the Royal National Lifeboat Institution ( RNLI ) in 1823 .
My personal connection with HMS Racehorse began in October 2020 when I attended a talk at the Manx Museum , delivered by Allison Fox ( Curator of
Archaeology , Manx National Heritage ) and Brian King , a key player in the discovery of the wreck site in 1968 . I was immediately fascinated by the story and the artefacts on show at the talk . And my interest was deepened when I learned that the Isle of Man Sub-Aqua Club ( IoMSAC ), of which I am the current Chair , actually owns the wreck .
I chatted with Allison and Brian , and we all agreed that if we were able to collect additional photos and film from the wreck site , these would be excellent to use in the coming commemorations . Allison , delighted by the idea , encouraged
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The dive team departs Port St Mary
Dr Jon Chamberlain overlays the photogrammetry images onto Brian King ’ s 1980s site plan