A civilian dive team that surveyed the wreck of the British Royal Navy warship HMS Exmouth is conducting a crowdfunding campaign to add the names of the ship’s crew — all of whom were lost when the ship sank — to be added to a Royal National Lifeboat Institution boat.
On January 20, 1940 HMS Exmouth was on escort duty in the Moray Firth when she was torpedoed by a German submarine. The ship sank in minutes, with the loss of all 190 crew.
Last August, a volunteer team of civilian divers conducted a survey of the World War II destroyer under a license from the Ministry of Defence.
The survey is part of a wider project to raise awareness of the loss and ensure the heritage of this site is preserved.
A wreath was laid at Wick Cemetery, beside the graves of 18 sailors who washed ashore. The team then met with members of the local community to share their experiences of the wreck, and see the artifacts of remembrance in Saint Fergus Church.
The team will now spend the next few months collating and reviewing the imagery, before releasing a report and website so the wider public can “see” the wreck as she is today.
Donations to the RNLI will not only help save lives at sea, it will help preserve the memory of HMS Exmouth’s crew. For each multiple of £50 (~€59/~US$62) donated, one of the crew’s names will be added to the new Exmouth lifeboat.
You can donate at justgiving.com.