A team of divers found the former passenger liner in 106m, 35 miles off Cape Wrath in northern Scotland. The wreck has lain undisturbed after sinking in heavy seas on 27 September 1915.

A break in the weather on Tuesday 26 May allowed skipper Andy Cuthbertson to sail dive charter boat Jean Elaine from Stromness, Orkney, around the notoriously rough Cape Wrath, to search for the wreck of HMS Caribbean.

A team of mixed-gas divers spent the next two days exploring the wreck which was found close to the surveyed position supplied by the Hydrographics Office. The wreck is upright, and although relatively intact, the decks and most of the superstructure have collapsed. The forward mast lies across the deck and two anchors are still clearly visible on the bow. A large trawl net has been snagged and abandoned close to the bridge, where the substantial helm lies toppled. Non-closing portholes were found loose on the deck, while the larger closing portholes were still firmly in place.

The deck lies in 96m, with the wreck standing some 10m high on the seabed. Visibility on the wreck was a disappointing 1-2m, with a layer of silt creating dark and scuzzy conditions below 80m.

The team used mixed gas and Inspiration rebreathers, spending around 3 hours decompressing in water temperatures of 9 degrees Celsius.

"Caribbean is one of those wrecks that everybody has been talking about, and it's nice to finally get to dive her," expedition leader Steve Brown told Divernet. "The dimensions of the wreck, the size of the helm and the fittings we found all helped to identify her. We were also fortunate enough to have a great skipper, and accurate information from the Hydrographics Office."

The dive team were: Steve Brown (expedition leader), Nick Barron, Steve Bolton, Mark Brill, Sally Cartwright, Gary Fones, Steve Haddow, Matt Phillips, Louise Trewavas, Rick Waring.

HMS Caribbean
The 5,800 ton steamship Dunottar Castle was a Union Castle Line passenger liner before being requisitioned by the Admiralty. She was refitted as an auxilliary cruiser in 1915 and renamed HMS Caribbean. Later, it was decided that she would become a fleet base ship at Scapa Flow, and she sailed to Birkenhead for substantial alterations. She set sail for Scapa Flow on 24 September 1915, but ran north-easterly gales and rough seas at midday on September 26, south of Cape Wrath; and foundered.
After an SOS message was received a number of ships were sent to help, but some were forced to turn back by the sea conditions, and the tug Flying Kestrel never found the Caribbean. Fortunately, the trawlers which were sent from Stornoway in the Hebrides, together with HMS Birkenhead, succeeded in rescuing most of the crew into lifeboats that night.
HMS Caribbean sank early on 27 September, and the 15 crewmen still aboard lost their lives. The Court of Enquiry later blamed the ship's carpenter - who, in common with most of the crew, had joined the ship just 10 days earlier - for failing to shut all the scuttles, and being insufficiently familiar with the ship.

Related pages
Jean Elaine charter boat
Hydrographics Office

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