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HMS Vandal Expedition 2003
Team
| History
| Expedition | Logistics
| Larry
Gaines | Results
| Sponsors
Sinking
Theory | Expedition Images
| Wreck Images | Online
article |Links
| Expedition
Mission; To positively identify
HMS Vandal, add weight to some of the theories about the sinking
and above all write the final chapter for the wreck to be left
in peace. The dives will be conducted in some of the most unimaginable
conditions in the world and at a depth of 100m/330ft off Scotland's
west coast. |
Historic
Outlook;
On the 22nd February 1943 HMS Vandal began a 3-day self contained
exercise prior to joining the 3rd submarine Flotilla and deployment
on operational duties. On the morning of the 24th at about 08:30
hours the Vandal was seen leaving her anchorage at Lochranza
in the North of the Isle of Arran. After that she disappeared
without trace. An enquiry was launched and three pieces of evidence
were provided by other submarines operating in the area and
a spotter plane:
1) One submarine reported seeing a smoke candle
2.5miles north of Inchmarnock.
2) Another reported hearing hull tapping in
a similar area.
3) A spotter plane reported a large oil slick
about 2 miles north of Arran (15 Kilometers from Inchmarnock.
The board of enquiry ignored the spotter planes report and concluded
that HMS Vandal was lost somewhere north of Inchmarnock whilst
on a deep dive, a dive she was programmed to do on day three
of her exercise. |
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Above; HMS Vandal at sea
courtesy Derek Walters
Vandal remained lost for over 50 years, however
in 1995 the Scottish Branch of the Submariners Association persuaded
the Navy to search in the area where a number of trawlers had
reported their nets being snagged. This was also the area of
the observed oil slick in 1943! HMS Hurworth discovered her
and sent down an ROV to take some video. Subsequently Gus Briton
identified the vandal at the submarine Museum in Gosport through
the video film supplied. The film was of poor quality and while
the images clearly showed that of a submarine she was never
positively identified, neither had her reasons of loss been
established.
[Sonar
Image of wreck in 2003] |
There was one survivor
from the crew of Vandal named Mr Larry Gaines, at the time Gaines
was submitted to sick bay and was replaced by a younger less
experienced crew member. For 60 years Larry had blamed himself
for the loss as he believed his replacement had not secured
the aft engine room hatch, one of Gaines final checks before
diving. The divers during the 2003 expedition would find the
hatch in question securely locked relieving Larry Gaines haunting
thoughts. The team would then go on to put solid evidence on
the table as to what was likely the true loss of Vandal.
Expedition; |
Above; Larry Gaines front
left with Naval Colleagues. |
| Deep in the Clyde off Scotland's
west coast is not the most glamorous place to go diving, neither
is it renowned for its visibility as the first divers to surface
report that the working conditions are relatively poor. These
divers are working on a very different kind of project, as they
tackle perhaps the worst conditions they will ever work under…
Their objective is to positively identify the wreck of HMS Vandal
in her last resting place. To add to that they intend to make
a full analysis of the wreck in order to determine exactly why
she was lost. They won’t know it until the evidence begins
to unfold, although as it does they will soon discover various
clues to broaden the picture of the entire Vandal affair. The
divers’ observations, photographs and video will also
allow Gaines to live the rest of his life without blaming himself
for the submarine’s loss, which sank along with 37 officers
and men. |
Above; Chris Hutchison Vandal/
film crew |
After consultation with the Ministry
of Defence. and the backing of the Submariners’ Association,
the dive team also liaised with Larry Gaines and the families
of those lost for their consent to conduct a full diving analysis
of HMS Vandal.
Identification;
The Vandal lies in pitch darkness on a muddy slope in exactly
100m/330ft of cold water, with a 35° list to port, lying
in the same attitude to the slope itself. |
In order to identify the wreck a good examination as to her
design would have been sufficient, although the main positive
identification would indeed be her name. Visibility is down
to about 4-6ft and a small ladder comes into view the torch
beam following each rung, this ladder would have allowed the
men to climb down from the tower onto the pressure hull. The
ladder leads to what was the top of the tower now lying at a
right angle and somewhat twisted, then into view comes a large
letter ‘L’! Following the top of the conning tower
along, the entire name ‘VANDAL’ in classic naval
brass letters comes into view. Positive identification of the
Vandal is with the team on day one. Those letters can been seen
on the wreck images page click
here. Each night the video teams could run through their
film with survivor Larry Gaines in an attempt to piece together
the story of the last moments of Vandal. Bryan Thomas and Sandy
Young of the Submariners’ Association have also joined
us and are equally thrilled to see for the first time quality
digital film of the wreck. |
A rare photograph of HMS Vandal P64 sent to deepimage
courtesy of Mr J Barnett
Condition;
A smile is evident on the face of Mr Larry Gaines; the divers
have informed him that the aft engine room hatch is securely
closed. For it was this hatch that Gaines believed his less
experienced replacement might have failed to close. The 12 lb.
gun still remains on its pedestal forward of the tower covered
completely in fisherman's trawl net and all that is visible
is the pedestal base itself. Video shows the team has also made
progressive movement to both the bow and stern of the wreck
filming the entire pressure hull as they go. At the very stern
a four-foot long section known as the 'ducks tail' is completely
missing, and although missing is it not part of the pressure
hull or why she sank. Again at the stern the divers identify
scuffing on the starboard propeller tips, which could indicate
that some running of the engines may have taken place in an
attempt to drive the submarine off the seabed. Approaching the
bow section the divers are given a grim reminder of what actually
occurred here as they are confronted |
Above; Vandals Forward escape
hatch wide open as discovered
by the team |
| by the forward escape hatch -wide
open! This appears to have been opened from the inside, and
peering inside reveals no ladder in situ. The significance of
this adds to the evidence of what may have happened. Some of
the outer plating has rotted away from the bow revealing more
of the torpedo tubes and the torpedo-loading hatches both clearly
closed. The divers report seeing the boat’s hydroplanes
in the stowed position, yet another clue in revealing Vandal’s
fate. |
Our Story;
The entire story of how this team went about the expedition
to the Vandal in August of 2003 is found on this expedition
section of DeepImage. The navigation bar above will guide you
through some of the areas of the project as well as image banks
of both the wreck as she is today and images from the expedition.
Vandal 2003 has made history as one of the most significant
war loss investigations of our time. The technical divers worked
alongside a survivor and specialists from the Submariners Association
to bring to light the truth. The expeditions timing may have
been just right, as the MoD prepare to designate the wreck site,
Vandal may never see another visitor. Not that she needs to
as all the facts are now brought to the table, we have a positively
know wreck site with positive evidence of what happened and
the images to accompany.
|
Above; The divers of Vandal
Project 2003 |
| Leigh Bishop author of DeepImage is always
glad to hear from people whomare connected with such storys
as that of the lost submarine Vandal, Barbara Coffee recently
added an addition to the Vandal pages after researching her
family tree. Joseph William Coffee was lost when HMS Vandal
did not surface back in 1943, see more click here.
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If you are a picture researcher that requires images
of HMS
Vandal please contact deepimage here.
These Vandal pages are in memory of Eddie Girvan who tragically lost
his life in
a diving incident a year after he worked on this project.
More about technical diving click
here >>
Learn how to become a technical diver with the best training click
here >>
About Deep Blue diving technical diving instructors click
here >>
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