*WW1, Unique Bronze Gunnery Magazine Cover Recovered from H.M.S. Drake*
This is a remarkable piece of World War I naval history: a bronze gunnery magazine cover recovered from the wreckage of H.M.S. Drake, found off the coast of Northern Ireland. It comes with a story from its previous owner, a Royal Navy Diver who collected it from the wreckage. The hatch is roughly 52x28cm and quite heavy. It can be opened, and the entire object is in good condition. Included are various research materials and copied paperwork, making it an extraordinary artifact of WWI naval history.
HMS Drake, the lead ship of the Drake Class Battle Cruisers in WWI, served primarily as an escort for Transatlantic supply convoys. On October 2, 1917, while escorting a convoy off the coast of Northern Ireland near Rathlin Island, she was torpedoed by Kapitanleutnant Otto Rohrbeck of the German submarine U79. Although eighteen lives were lost initially, the captain managed to beach the ship in shallow water near Church Bay, Rathlin Island, where the rest of the crew were rescued before she sank in approximately 15-19 meters. U79 also sank two other Allied ships that day, Brisk and Lugano. Rohrbeck was one of the most successful U-boat ‘Aces’ of WWI, sinking eleven ships and seriously damaging two others.
HMS Drake remained off the island until the 1970s but drew unwelcome attention from the IRA. This led to Royal Navy Diving divers visiting the wreck and laying charges to dispose of remaining ordnance. Today, HMS Drake’s wreck is a popular dive site.
The paperwork tells us that “During my service in the Royal Navy 1966-1975 as a clearance diver prior to my transfer to the marines one of the many jobs I was involved with was the Ordnance Clearance of the H.M.S. Drake wreck site in Northern Ireland in the early 70’s. Following the ?? down at the site with explosives this hatch was part (of a) larger magazine hatch exposed and recovered by myself. Non Ferrous metals Brass, Bronze, and Timber were extensively used in magazines. Small openings where and are a feature in magazines to minimize the risk of sparks and ‘flashbacks’ to prevent uncontrolled detonation of the magazine contents“.
*Condition*
Good condition. Please refer to the images as part of our condition report.
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