Scuba Divers Survey Century-Old Sunken WWI Wrecks

More than 100 years after the Battle of Jutland unfolded in the North Sea, a team of divers surveys the remnants of WWI’s largest naval conflict.

Long rows of artillery from both sides still point out over the railing as though they are scouting for the enemy. But in reality, it has been lying on the seafloor for more than a hundred years after going down with 903 men in what is still described as the world’s largest naval battle.

The Battle of Jutland took place May 31 through June 1, 1916, in the thick of World War I, when the English and German navies squared off about 80 miles from the coast of Jutland, Denmark. The Germans’ goal was to break the English blockade for good, while the Royal Navy wanted the Germans completely out of the war. Two-hundred forty-nine ships took part in the battle, which lasted two days. Twenty-five ships sank and 8,500 sailors died during the battle.

Both sides claimed victory. Though the German fleet was outgunned by its British adversaries, the Germans succeeded in sinking more ships. The British, however, had a strategic victory: the German fleet retreated to harbor for the remainder of the war and never mounted another serious challenge.

The Expedition
It was Stef Teuwen, from the World Underwater Federation, who organized the expedition to draw attention to the Battle of Jutland’s centennial. They booked Commandant Fourcault to get us there, a diver’s dream. The ship is 180 feet long, with a helicopter, pressure chamber, three RIBs, two cranes and the ability to accommodate up to 32 tec divers. We took full advantage of the amenities during the first three days, exploring the SMS Frauenlob, SMS Lutzow and HMS Queen Mary. While a flooded computer, faulty RIB and unfavorable viz thwarted some of the diving, we enjoyed surveying the wrecks and were pleased to see propellers and layers of ammunition frozen in time after decades on the ocean floor. But the highlight of the trip, and the wreck that best represented the epic battle, was the HMS Defence.

The Crown Jewel
A British battle cruiser built in 1907, the 490-foot HMS Defence was the final armored cruiser built for the Royal Navy. It was supposedly designed to sail after ships of weaker naval powers to protect British world interests, so speed and firepower were its key attributes. During the Battle of Jutland, it was part of the first cross group with three armored cruiser groups. Its commander made a mistake when he went for the crippled SMS Wiesbaden, which was stationary without engine power but still able to fire torpedoes. Maneuvering at high speed, the ship nearly had several collisions, but even worse is that it was exposed to the advancing German first reconnaissance group and battle fleet. The ship underwent a full-on assault, and the inevitable happened — the Defence burst in a fiery explosion and sank with 903 men on board.

The wreck looks impressive on the sonar image, and with improved visibility and light conditions, we’re very excited to dive. The descent line is tied amidships, so we almost descend on top of a 7.5-inch turret.

It’s impressive to swim along the deck and see one turret after another on both sides. On some of the turrets, the top is blown off, and inside there is still ammunition standing along the walls ready to be loaded into the heavy naval guns.

We see a large portion of the wreck — ranging from 145 to 165 feet — including the location where the rear magazine ignited during the battle, leaving messy wreckage for us to explore. Farther down the stern, we reach the double-barreled 9.2-inch gun of which the top and one of the barrels was blown off. After the dive, there’s much enthusiasm on board, and when the organizer suggests we stay here an extra day, there are no objections.

On the second dive, we use scooters to get around and see the whole wreck, plus save some time to find photo subjects.

Down on the wreck, we reach the bow and instantly see the boilers and lower part of the 9.2-inch double-barreled gun turret. Right in front of it, there’s a large hole in the wreck that leads right down to the seabed. Both capstans are pressed slightly up, and we can peer into where the chain is. Swimming around the bow, we see the ship bottom is torn up, so the gears from the capstan are free — great forces that have been unleashed by the explosion. We see it much more clearly here because there’s good visibility compared with our other dives.

We return the next day for dive No. 3 at the Defence. Loose objects — portholes, lanterns, china, ammunition — are strewn across the wreck.

Now it’s time to see what else is hidden. Below deck at the stern cannons, the wreck is broken at both ends, so there is good light and space, letting us penetrate the wreck and find remnants of machine tools, lantern glass, lamps and portholes.

We find a tunnel under the deck, where space is a little more cramped, but it’s littered with bottles of all kinds. On the starboard side lies one of the shafts and propellers. I find a tunnel with several boxes the size of suitcases. We’re later told that they were used to transport ammunition.

After swimming around and looking into holes and cracks, we discover many wolffish on the wreck. Other than the dead man’s fingers fungus on the high points of the wreck, this is the only life we see.

After four dives on the wreck, I still don’t think we’ve seen it all. Even after all of these years on the ocean floor, these historic ships still have a story to tell.

WAR-TORN WRECKS

Dozens of ships sank during the Battle of Jutland, and we were fortunate enough to explore four other wrecks other than the Defence. Here are the highlights.

SMS Frauenlob
We head down the descent line and reach the wreckage around 155 feet, but the conditions are totally disappointing. It’s dark, and with visibility at less than 10 feet, it’s difficult to get an overview of the shipwreck. It doesn’t help that 25 of us are swimming around a mud bottom, but we’re able to see large guns, ammunition and portholes.

SMS Lutzow
This former battle cruiser looks terrible during the first 65 feet, but then we see the remnants of war: ammunition everywhere, either loose or stacked in three to four layers. We pass through the steam turbines and a recoil absorber to one of the big 12-inch guns in the stern, and see one of the propeller shafts.

HMS Queen Mary
We swim along the railing for some time when we finally see the 13.5-inch turret lying upside down, though you can’t see the barrel. Throughout the rest of the dive, we see parts of the propellers. The best way to describe the wreck is that it’s the sum of its parts — loose iron parts and twisted plates.

HMS Invincible
The squadron’s flagship battle cruiser now lies on a sandy bottom at 165 feet. The visibility is good, so we follow the others over the wreck, out against the stern. Suddenly, the turret appears, out of which jut its twin 12-inch gun barrels. The gun still stands, the top of its turret blown off. We swim toward the bow, and the only things we see are the ship’s boilers.