Multibeam sonar surveys of WW1 wrecks in Welsh waters

[Michael James Roberts]

Hi, I work for Bangor University and posted this on the specific discussion topic started many years ago but not sure how active it is.  I thought I'd look to share some imagery we have obtained using multibeam sonar to examine wrecks in Welsh waters as part of work I'm involved with.  Happy to answer any questions and hopefully post many more images in the near future.  The image I have posted below is of the SS Apapa torpedoed by U-96, 6 miles north of Anglesey on 28th November 1917 resulting in the loss of 77 passengers and crew.  The colour scale representsdepth, blue being deep and red the shallowest.  She is lying on her starboard side, orientated almost perpendicular to the tidal flow with the bow facing due south.  The orientation has resulted in the the creation of two similar elongated scour pits that are 12m deeper than the surrounding seabed.  All the best everyone.

[MBrockway]

Thanks for posting Michael.  Looking forward to watching evolve what is likely to be a fascinating topic.

Mark

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Hi Michael,

Great picture.

Are you using the Prince Madog out of Menai Bridge?

Edited 8 November , 2017 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr

[Michael James Roberts]

Hi, yes we are for most of the surveys offshore.  Some of the more shallower ones we survey using our inshore 8m Cheetah marine vessel 'Macoma'...effectively the same multibeam system though.  Think we've surveyed 50+ vessels now most of which were lost during the Great War.  I also have some images of U-87 sank on Christmas Day 1917 with all 43 crew.  Plenty of info online about this too.  Also involved in a project with the Royal Commission and will keep you posted on this.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Marvellous.

Please keep us informed. perhaps you could post links to the project and the images?

Reason I asked is that my schoolfriend's father was master of the Prince Madog in the 1970s, Capt. (James?) Donovan.

I went to school at MB.

[jay dubaya]

Interesting stuff, I'd be particularly interested to know more of the wrecks off Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire

[Michael James Roberts]

Hi Jay..... they are on my 'to do' list..... although we have done some..... any particular vessels that are of special interest?

 

[Falloden]

Fascinating, thanks for posting.

[Michael James Roberts]

An image of the Apapa to provide some context as to how she lies on the seabed, large elongated scour pits to the east and west (north is to the top of the image)

[Michael James Roberts]

Another wreck site close by (SS Derbent) torpedoed on the 30th November 1917 by the same U-boat (U-96) that attacked the Apapa 2 days earlier....fortunately no loss of life associated with this one.  The deck gun lies on the stern section of the hull after an aborted attempt at salvaging it.  She's located approximately 9 miles northeast of Point Lynas off Anglesey in around 35-40m of water.

[Michael James Roberts]

For information, some of this work has been used to develop the proposal in the following link:

 

https://rcahmw.gov.uk/royal-commission-gains-heritage-lottery-fund-approval-for-the-development-of-the-forgotten-u-boat-war-around-the-welsh-coast-project/

 

[Michael James Roberts]

https://my.bangor.ac.uk/content/news/world-war-one-u-boat-partnership-project-gets-green-light-from-heritage-lottery-fund-for-wales-year-of-the-sea-2018-34633

 

Funding approved so here we go............

 

So...here's a question.......Could those depressions on the seabed on the left hand side of the image be depth charge impact craters?......they're approximately 8-10m in diameter.

 

 

Edited 17 November , 2017 by Michael James Roberts

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

28 minutes ago, Michael James Roberts said:

https://my.bangor.ac.uk/content/news/world-war-one-u-boat-partnership-project-gets-green-light-from-heritage-lottery-fund-for-wales-year-of-the-sea-2018-34633

 

Funding approved so here we go...........

 

 

Great news Michael.

All the best with this excellent project.

[Hywyn]

1 hour ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

 

Great news Michael.

All the best with this excellent project.

 

+1

Totally agree.

[jay dubaya]

On ‎08‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 11:38, Michael James Roberts said:

Hi Jay..... they are on my 'to do' list..... although we have done some..... any particular vessels that are of special interest?

 

None in particular Michael, although I do remember using Behar and Dakotian for navigation up and down the Haven, although these two are from a war over twenty years later, one early morning in July 2005 I had the pleasure of a Huey chopper ride and the water was a crystal clear millpond, I saw these two wrecks for the first time, a pretty amazing sight. I know little of the Great War wrecks around these waters and just interested as to what lies in these waters.

 

cheers, Jon

[Michael James Roberts]

Hi,  For info the Twitter and Facebook pages for this project are now live:

 

https://twitter.com/llongauuboat

 

https://www.facebook.com/llongauUboat/

 

I think the website will be up and running soon and serious surveys to produce new higher resolution images have commenced....I'll post them on here just as soon as they are processed.

[Michael James Roberts]

Hi,

 

By way of an update a recent survey of the Derbent.....this time trying to resolve some of the detail on the deck.......and a comparison with previous data and an image published on the 'Divernet' website, hope I'm not infringing on copyright in any way here. Fantastic job from the divers in reconstructing the detail given the testing conditions down there.

[stiletto_33853]

Great images and information, thanks for posting Michael.

 

Andy

Edited 25 April , 2018 by stiletto_33853

[green_acorn]

On 11/17/2017 at 20:40, Michael James Roberts said:

https://my.bangor.ac.uk/content/news/world-war-one-u-boat-partnership-project-gets-green-light-from-heritage-lottery-fund-for-wales-year-of-the-sea-2018-34633

 

Funding approved so here we go............

 

So...here's a question.......Could those depressions on the seabed on the left hand side of the image be depth charge impact craters?......they're approximately 8-10m in diameter.

 

 

Michael,

 

Wonderful images, thank you for sharing your work here on the GWF.

 

I have no technical knowledge of this subject, could I suggest contacting the Royal Navy. My own hypothesis is that the craters may come from the next war, given the regular distance between each crater and the pattern with the crater to the West (left) possibly being from a depth charge thrown by a depth charge projector. I say the next war as the pattern is remarkable for being parallel to the wreck, something that would have required a technical aid such as ASDIC to achieve.

 

 

Cheers,

Chris

[Aneurin]

Fascinating, Michael. Thanks for posting.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

And here's the latest one:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-45676923