An ancient shipwreck believed to be the World War I-era SS Tobol has been discovered off the northeast coast of Scotland, solving what its discoverers call a “107-year-old maritime mystery”.
The merchant vessel was one of several discovered during geophysical and environmental surveys for the proposed Malham Wind offshore wind farm off the coast of Scotland. ScottishPower and Shell, the partners developing the proposed wind farm, said data collected by sonar scans helped find the wreck.
Known for its “turret deck” design, common to steam freighters, the Tobol was a Russian ship that was torpedoed by a German submarine in September 1917 while traveling from Blyth, England to Arkhangelsk, Russia. The Tobol was built in the port city of Sunderland in the early 20th century and operated by a steamship company until it was captured by a Russian warship in 1904. Russia changed the ship’s name from SS Cheltenham to SS Tobol.
Last month, another shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Scotland when a group of divers uncovered what they believe to be the HMS Hawk, a World War I ship that was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine in 1914.
Diver Steve Mortimer told the BBC the wreck was a “truly amazing time capsule”.
Tobol had been lost for over 100 years before it was discovered during research work for the Maram Wind Project.
“It’s incredible that after more than a century, Malham Wind has finally revealed the location where the SS Tobol is thought to have sunk,” said Toby Gain, marine, coastal cultural heritage and archaeology leader at engineering professional services consultancy WSP.
Malham Wind development manager Colin Anderson called the discovery of the wreck an “amazing find”.
“We always expect to come across sunken ships when undertaking this type of work, but these are often small vessels known to authorities,” Anderson said in a statement from Malamwind. “We knew the Tobol had been torpedoed in the war but its location was unknown, so to have found it more than a century later and to be able to uncover its history is special.”
Malham Wind said an “exclusion zone” had been established around the wreck to protect it as work on the offshore wind project continues, and that discussions were continuing with the UK Hydrographic Office and Historic Environment Scotland “to ensure the protection and preservation of the wreck of the SS Tobol”.
Once complete, electricity generated by MarramWind will power 3.5 million homes.