BSAC Expedition finds wreck near Skye
A BSAC expedition undertaken by the Leicester Underwater Exploration Club (LUEC) in July 2006 has discovered wreckage of what may have been an 18th century ship on reefs near the North of Skye. Copper pins and sheeting, cast iron spars, metal tubing and a quantity of bricks were found at depths of between 15 and 35 metres. Samples have been recovered and are being examined by experts at the office of Historic Scotland.
The expedition, organised by LUEC and partially funded by BSAC, used a team of 20 divers to investigate a number of sites, some of which are believed not to have previously been dived. �The wreck was found near the end of the trip, which means we didn't have much time to survey it, said Ron Tibble, Diving Officer of LUEC. �The club worked hard to prepare for the expedition, and it's very exciting to be rewarded with a find. Compared to the south coast of England, the Scottish islands area is not frequently dived so it is perhaps not surprising that the discovery has not been made until now.
Whenever material is recovered from a wreck site, the �receiver of wreck, a government department, must be informed. The receiver of wreck attempts to identify the legitimate owner, but is often unsuccessful. Unclaimed �wreck' becomes the property of the crown, and �historic' wreckage more than 100 years old is usually offered to museums or other institutions where it will be accessible to the public. However, archaeologists will usually want to leave the wreckage on the sea bed where it can be studied where it lies, because artefacts quickly disintegrate when they are exposed to the air.
Page last modified: 6th Nov 2006 - 10:32:53