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On the 5 June1916, the Secretary of Start for War, Lord Kitchener set out from Scapa Flow in the Orkneys on a highly secretive mission to Russia, but did not get very far. The Hampshire had just returned
from the Battle of Jutland when it was detailed to take Lord Kitchener on a mission. When Kitchener arrived in Scapa Flow he transferred from the Iron Duke to the cruiser HMS Hampshire, a fierce gale was blowing from
the northeast, it was suggested that the mission should be delayed for at least 24hrs,but he refused, but did decide to re-route the Hampshire up the west side of the Orkneys, thinking that he could make better time and
also safer from submarine attack. The Hampshire could still make 18knots in the storm, but the two destroyers, Unity and Victor that had been assigned to escort her soon fell behind, the Hampshire reduced her speed to
15knots and headed closer to land, but both ships still could not keep up. The captain of the Hampshire signalled to the destroyers to return to Scapa. At approximately 7,55pm there was a loud explosion amidships from
the boiler room area, she immediately started to list to starboard then all the lights went out, with hundreds of men trapped below decks. Within 15minutes she had disappeared, she went down-bow first. Of the 662 men on
board the Hampshire, only 12 survived. No rockets or distress signals were transmitted; from the time of the explosion the ship was totally paralysed.
According to a survivor, Kitchener was last seen on the bridge
with the captain making no apparent effort to save himself. The reaction of the British at the death of There Lord Kitchener was one of disbelief, and the rumours started, was she torpedoed, mined, or had time bombs
been fitted by saboteurs? However the most likely explanation is that she hit a mine laid by U75 the week before. Now a twist to the story, in 1933 a group of divers working under a Capt Brandt clamed to have removed
over £60,000 worth of gold from her strong room, the salvage had been aborted when one of the divers was killed and others seriously injured. They clamed that more that £2million is still on board,(the mission to the
Tsar's financial support. A statement from the Admiralty clamed it knew nothing of it and said the Hampshire remained the property of HM Government and could not be touched. Today the Hampshire lies in 68mtrs of water,
with approx 55mtrs of water over her she is completely upside-down, she was 10,590tons,and is 475ft long Vis on her can be 15/20mtrs,and she is on a shale bed, she has corroded away in places and gaps are open in many
parts of the hull, there are still rows of portholes intact on her, and her masts lie to the side of her with still bit's of rigging and fixings on them. There are some large holes in the hull and you can just make out
the various decks. The Hampshire is a wonderful dive, but the menace of the wreck reminds you of the loss of all those men, If you dive her remember she is a war grave ------ Look but don't touch. |
