V82 beached at the foot of Whale Island, as painted by William Wyllie between 1920 and 1922. Painting: National Maritime Museum PAF2085
The above comes from the Navy News, of the British Royal Navy, and is a reproduction of a painting by William Wyllie, as noted. V82 was a World War I German torpedo boat, roughly the same size as British destroyers of the era. This article, at Forgotten Wrecks of the First World War, details V82’s and V44’s (not pictured) life and fate:
The wrecks appear to have been almost totally forgotten and only came to light when a 2011 Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment of Portsmouth Harbour noted that two possible destroyers were present in Second World War era aerial photographs. After the Trust established that the remains were still present in 2015, work on identifying them began. This was achieved with a mix of German language and Admiralty sources, as well as the kind support of a number of academics and volunteers. The Maritime Archaeology Trust would like to thank WO1 Jim Rooney (HMS Excellent), Caroline Barrie-Smith, William Pounds, Professor Ian Buxton, Mike Greaves, Timo Inwich (webmaster of www.navy-history.com), Queen’s Harbour Master Portsmouth, the Defence Reserve Ships Organisation, all of whom assisted or volunteered to help with the fieldwork, post-fieldwork processing or research relating to V44 and V82.
The painting originally caught my attention (via a rotating advert on archaeology.org), but it serves to remind me of one of those odd reactions to which we’re all subject. In my case, it’s this: we really should pick up after ourselves. How many military naval wrecks litter our oceans, seas, and rivers? And what threats do the more recent wrecks pose? Many are oilers, while others carry ammunition. Have we ever seriously considered trying to clean up these wrecks that threaten lives, both human and non-human?
Another rant here.
