Shipwreck confirmed to be U.K. cruiser sunk by torpedo during World War I, killing over 500 sailors

A shipwreck discovered off the coast of Scotland was confirmed to be a British cruiser sunk by a torpedo during World War I, killing more than 500 crew members on board, U.K. military officials have revealed.

The wreck of the HMS Hawke was found in “remarkable” condition this summer by a volunteer team of divers about 70 miles east of Fraserburgh. Royal Navy experts said Friday that an analysis of video, photos and scans confirmed the ship’s identity.

On October 15, 1914, a German sub captained by U-boat ace Otto Weddigen attacked the HMS Hawke, killing 524 crew members, officials said. The ship exploded and sank in fewer than eight minutes with just 70 sailors surviving. 

The month before sinking HMS Hawke, the same U-boat sank three Royal Navy cruisers in one hour, killing more than 1,450 sailors and Royal Marines.

HMS Hawke was located in August about six miles from where British maritime officials estimated it would be in the early 1970s. Divers found it about 360 feet underwater.

The team consulted the war diary of the U-boat that sank Hawke, as well as the logs of the nearest warships to the cruiser at the time of its sinking, officials said. Divers also looked at contemporary charts of the North Sea to help pinpoint the possible wreck site.

“The wreck is in remarkable condition for a vessel of this era, likely due to the depth and having never been dived before,” said Steve Mortimer, one of the divers. “It’s a fascinating site. You can look through the open scuttles and see artifacts just lying there on the deck. There’s lots of Royal Navy crockery, including teacups, plates and bowls. It’s a really remarkable time capsule.”

Mortimer and his team also located two large guns on the bow and stern, guns along the ship’s sides as well as an admiral’s walkway around the stern and navigation equipment.

Three years before it sank, HMS Hawke made headlines in 1911 when she was damaged after colliding with RMS Olympic – the sister ship of the Titanic.

After World War I broke out, the warship was assigned to enforce the naval blockade of Germany by patrolling between Scotland and Norway. The cruiser was doomed when on October 15, 1914, she was spotted by U-9 about 80 miles east of Fraserburgh, Scotland.

Lieutenant Commander Jen Smith told the BBC that the Navy appreciated efforts to locate and identify wrecks around the U.K.

“Without these volunteers dedicating their time to these projects, the resting place of many of our sailors would never be found and their sacrifices forgotten, so we are most grateful,” she said.