WWI shipwreck likely found, solving "107-year-old maritime mystery," offshore wind company says

An old shipwreck, believed to be the World War I vessel the SS Tobol, has been uncovered off the northeast coast of Scotland, solving what discoverers say is a "107-year-old maritime mystery."

The merchant vessel was among several detected during geophysical and environmental surveys for a forthcoming offshore wind farm off the Scottish coast, MarramWind. ScottishPower and Shell, partners in developing the proposed wind farm, said data gathered by sonar scans helped discover the wreck. 

Known for its 'turret deck' design commonly used for steam cargo ships, the Tobol was a Russian vessel that was torpedoed by the German U-boat in September 1917 while it was traveling from Blyth, England to Arkhangelsk, Russia. Tobol was built in the port city of Sunderland at the start of the 20th century and run by a steamer company until 1904 when a Russian warship captured the ship. The Russians changed the ship's name from the SS Cheltenham to the SS Tobol.

Another shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Scotland just last month when a group of divers came across what's believed to be The HMS Hawke, a WWI ship that sank after being torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1914.

Diver Steve Mortimer told the BBC that the wreck is a "really remarkable time capsule." 

The Tobol had been missing for over 100 years when it was discovered during the survey work for the MarramWind project. 

"It's incredible that – more than a century on ­– we finally have a sense of where the SS Tobol likely went down thanks to MarramWind," said Toby Gane, marine and coastal cultural heritage and archaeology lead for WSP, an engineering professional services consulting firm.

Colin Anderson, Development Manager for MarramWind, called the shipwreck discovery an "extraordinary find." 

"We always expect to come across wrecks when carrying out works like this, but these tend to be smaller vessels and known to the authorities," Anderson said in MarramWind's statement. "While the Tobol was known to have been torpedoed in the war, its location was unclear, so to discover it after more than a century and uncover its history is something special."

MarramWind said an "exclusion zone" has been placed around the shipwreck to protect it as work on the offshore wind project continues and that discussions with the UK Hydrographic Office and Historic Environment Scotland are ongoing to "to ensure the wreck of the SS Tobol is protected and preserved."

Once completed, electricity generated by MarramWind is expected to service 3.5 million homes.

In:
• Shipwreck
• Oceans
• Russia
• Wind Power
• United Kingdom
• World War I
• Germany