CLASINA

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Divers found lost WW I-wreck off Coll

Divers working from the 'Clasina' were able to solve the mystery of the HMS 'Jason' with marine archaeologists locating the lost Royal Navy vessel using sonar technology on April 12, 2022. The Navy's minesweeping gunboat sank off of the coast of Coll, an island in the Inner Hebrides on April 3, 1917. Of the vessel’s 91 crew members, 30 were lost in the sinking which followed a strike to the ship’s fore by a mine laid by the German submarine 'U-78' on Feb 12, 1917. The vessel sank in just five minutes, with her survivors rescued by the fellow minesweeper HMS 'Circe'. Despite the wreck’s location having been listed on nautical charts for decades, a 2011 seabed survey found no trace of the wreck where it was thought to be — resulting in the sunken ship being struck from the records. Following five years of investigation, the reasearch team was able to trace the wreck 0,37 miles from where it was thought to have sunk, lying next to a large rock at a depth of around 305 feet. Divers were able to confirm the presence of the wreck after sailing out to the site on the 'Clasina' with the vessel sporting several identifying features including a pointed stern, distinctive starboard propeller and two 4.7 inch guns. The marine archaeologists also found assorted artefacts down in the wreck, including plates and bottles, two telegraphs, the helm and a compass. The ship was upright, with a slight list to port, the aft gun in position, all of the machinery is exposed, the bridge and a forward gun. Just at the forward gun, there was a break where the mine hit. HMS Jason was built as an Alarm-class torpedo gunboat between 1891–1893, but was retrofitted for service as a minesweeper in 1909, a role that she continued into World War 1. Report with photos: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1601856/world-war-1-mystery-solved-wreck-lost-minesweeper-hms-jason-found-scotland