Maritime Caithness
Simon Davidson and Jon Henderson
Project sponsors: CASE
Figure 1: A UARC diver investigates the wreck of the
Linkmoor off the coast of Caithness
(photo © Jon Henderson)
The Maritime Caithness project aims to investigate the marine and coastal heritage of Caithness in a way that benefits the local community and enhances archaeological understanding of the existing cultural resource.
The aims of the project can be summarised as follows:
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Quantification and GIS mapping of the marine archaeological resource
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Analysis and observational surveys of individual sites
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Interpretation and public presentation of archaeological data
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Development and implementation of preservation and management strategies
The Caithness Marine Sites and Monuments Record
Figure 2: Wreck map of Caithness showing the
56 sites recorded in the MSMR
The Maritime Sites and Monuments Record (MSMR) for the region of Caithness contains 56 entries, all of which are shipwreck sites distributed throughout the inter-tidal and littoral zone (Figure 2). Approximate grid co-ordinates exist for all wreck sites, and several have been investigated by local interest groups, who have attempted to identify a number of sites by name, either by underwater investigation, or through corroboration with historical accounts. 6 wreck sites remain unidentified, whilst the identity of several more is doubted.
The range of sites in the MSMR is relatively limited in terms of date and type, with a large bias in later wrecks dating to the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The vessels are predominantly cargo and merchant vessels, although there are several prominent military vessels which were lost during the two World War I and World War II. The date and site type biases are based on several factors, the most prominent of which is the local topography and hydrology. The Pentland Firth off the north coast of Caithness is notoriously difficult to navigate, with hidden rocky outcrops, whirlpools, rip-tides, and the uninhabited island of Stroma, all providing obstacles to safe passage. This is compounded by unpredictable weather, high winds, and storms which can materialise rapidly and without warning. Such conditions have been responsible for innumerable wrecking events throughout history.
The MSMR is based largely on the anecdotal accounts of eye witnesses who were either present at the wrecking event or have subsequently encountered the wreck firsthand. In many instances therefore, the MSMR is reliant on data which may be inaccurate or incorrect. The earliest recorded wreck is the Victoria shipwreck (1890), whilst the most recent wrecks, for which a sinking date is known, were lost in 1942 - they are the Isleford, HMS St Olaves, and Gold Crown, the last two of which apparently sank together after an incident off the Bay of Sannick. The date of sinking for 24 of the MSMR wrecks is either unknown or still under investigation. The remaining wrecks all fall within the date range 1890 -1942.
The V81: a lost German destroyer
One of the most historically interesting wrecks in the MSMR is that of the V81, a German destroyer of the High Seas Fleet, which allegedly sank in 1920 whilst being towed from Scapa Flow. The historical accounts of the ship's demise appear contradictory, and it is unclear whether the wreck site at Sinclair's Bay (where the vessel is supposed to have run aground on rocks), actually contains the remains of V81. The Lifeboat register identifies a wreck from the same year as 'the German destroyer Vindictive' although their location is slightly north of the MSMR site, at Freswick Bay.
It is possible that the Vindictive was the towing vessel, and V81 foundered elsewhere, however, further investigation is required to clarify this. The wreck site was first identified by the Caithness Sub-Aqua Club who participated in diver surveys in 2006. These surveys concentrated efforts on trying to identify larger components that could be diagnostically identified. Of the surviving components that were discovered at the site, several are suggestive that the site is indeed that of a V-Class destroyer.
The most convincing diagnostic evidence to date is the surviving turbine (Figure 3). The turbine engine was still a relatively new technological development in 1916, and many of the destroyers in German Fleet were still in the process of changing from the old style steam boilers, however the V-class destroyers all had turbine propulsion, as shown in the schematic charts. This new propulsion system offered greater speed and manoeuvrability. However, V-class destroyers generally incorporated two turbine engines, whilst only one was discovered at the V-81 site.
Figure 3: The remains of a turbine engine discovered at the V-81 site. Schematic charts showed the V-Class destroyers all used turbine engines, which gave them greater speed and manoeuvrability (photo © Jon Henderson).
There are a number of possibilities as to why there was only one turbine discovered at the site. The most likely scenario is that the turbine was removed prior to the towing, either for scrap, or perhaps to make the vessel lighter. The fact that the vessel was being towed at all suggests that the V-81 was already un-seaworthy and had no method of self-propulsion. The theory that the vessel was stripped of its major components prior to towing, is supported by the general inconsistency in the survival of components that would normally be expected to survive, even in the hostile location of the V-81 site. That said, the bad condition of the existing turbine, which lies partially protected in a gully, does suggest that any component lying unprotected by natural topography, could easily be broken up and dispersed. Consequently, such a scenario must also be considered for the missing turbine. A further possibility is that the turbine was salvaged after the wrecking at Auckengill, along with other components. Historical documents suggest several salvage operations were attempted, although it is not known how much, if any, material was recovered. The MSMR entry contains an uncorroborated report that salvage rights to the V-81 were sold to an unnamed party in 1937.
Parts of the gear box also survive which appear to be consistent with that of a V-class destroyer. Other smaller finds include brass fittings which had become concreted into the rock (Figure 4). These components were often badly damaged and bent out of shape, suggesting a violent history underwater.
Figure 4: Remains of a piston, lying apparently detached from any other components. The surrounding kelp growth prevented full investigation (photo © Jon Henderson).
Figure 5: A diver uncovering brass components of V-81 which are concreted into the seabed. There is a light covering of shell and sand, which may be concealing other components (photo © Jon Henderson).
The remains of a piston were discovered at a depth of 14m (Figure 5). Again, the dimensions are consistent with the schematic charts of V-class destroyers. However, pistons for many ships were often constructed in a very similar manner, meaning that diagnostic identification was not possible.
A full of examination of the site and the surviving components is required to fully ascertain the identity of the wreck at Auckengill, however there is strong documentary evidence to suggest that the wreck is that of V-81. There are plans to return to the site during the winter months when the seaweed had died back and wreck is more visible to conduct a multi-beam sonar survey and more detailed diver investigation.
Publications
CAVERS, G., HENDERSON, J. C., BARBER, J. AND HEALD, A., 2011. Towards a Total Archaeological Record: Terrestrial Laser Scanning and Archaeological Recording at Keiss, Caithness, Scotland. In: JEREM, E., REDO, F. AND SZEVERENYI, V., ed., On the Road to Reconstructing the Past: Computer Applications and Quantitive Methods in Archaeology. Proceedings of the 36th International Conference, Budapest, April 2-6, 2008. Archaeolingua. 25-34
HENDERSON, J.C, 2008. Finding the V-81: a Scapa Flow wreck in Caithness Archaeology Scotland. 8-9
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