The lost wreck of HS Rewa, sunk off Cornwall's north coast in 1918 by a German U-boat, has been identified, lying upright at a depth of 60m.

Divers have been investigating the wreck site of HS Rewa since September 2003, and have now been able to recover artefacts which conclusively prove the ship's identity. Six plates with the British India Line crest, a large silver serving dish and a 1918 vintage bottle of champagne have all been recovered from the wreck.

Atlantic Diver skipper Chris Lowe took the divers to the wreck site, some 33 miles out of Newquay. "I've been looking for the wreck for a long time, but the divers had come across it when diving offshore in their RIB and wanted to investigate the site further. At 139m in length, it is one of the largest wrecks in the area. One of the key identifying features of the wreck is the six boilers, but it was the artefacts that clinched the identification" he told Divernet.

HS Rewa was returning from Greece, carrying injured soldiers, when she was struck by a torpedo from a German submarine and sank. Fortunately only 3 lives were lost, with 276 survivors. The torpedo appears to have struck the stern, which is badly mangled.

"It is a massive wreck, and an awesome dive," enthused Lowe, who is hoping that enough film footage will be gathered for a TV documentary on the wrecks of the area. Lowe runs the only exclusive dive charter boat out of Newquay and has built up a reputation for finding new wrecks in a largely unexplored area of coastline. He worked with the divers who found the lost treasure ship St George, and WW1 troop carrier the Armenian - famous for the presence of the bones of some 3,000 mules which perished when it sank.

Detail from porthole recovered from HS Rewa showing manufacturer's stamp : photo Mike Ades

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