Do not have the news report however this is the ship. HMS Exeter (68 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
They've found HMS Exeter? That would be interesting; she is as historic as HMAS Sydney. Definitely a war grave though.
Hi Adrian, On the news here this morning. The chap who found it says it is the most complete example of a sunk warship that he has ever seen. They were following the co-ordinates of the Captain and found it was only one degree out. (They have been looking for years) Apparently the Captain kept all his details about coordinates and his time as a POW in his toothpaste tube.
Brilliant news! You are spot on, AR, she is a very historic ship. Missed the news this morning. Looks like it happened in Feb 07 but couldn't be released till now due to contractual obligations - who cares about the families or survivors? Hopefully they were told not to worry at least: HMS Exeter and HMS Encounter HMS Encounter found too. The Wartime Memories Project - HMS Encounter uboat.net - Allied Warships - Destroyer HMS Encounter of the E class Battle of the Java Sea
HMS Exeter 1931-1942: Paintings of HMS Exeter by Robin Brooks http://www.robin-brooks.com/articles/hms-exeter-wreck-found-press-release.pdf - she's in only 60 metres of water.
Andy, Re the above, correct, discovered in Feb 2007 to be exact………………………..and no, neither the survivors, their families, the RN/MOD, nor anyone else for that matter was told of the discovery until definitive cast iron proof (high res photos and HD video) could be obtained to satisfy the skeptics out there, as we had been through all of that before with other wrecks we have discovered when we didn’t have said photographic evidence to start with. Surely you are aware of the HMAS Sydney fiasco last year (2007) when she was claimed to be found near the coast of WA by some amateur wreck sleuths, but who had no photographic evidence, and the claims (no doubt unintentional) were then subsequently proved to be false, but...............the damage had been done! Somewhat a 'reverse' situation to ours, but just proves that one should keep ones mouth firmly shut before having the verifiable 'proof' to display. And although we had planned to go back out to Exeter much sooner, it was not until April 2008 that that ‘cast iron proof’ as it were was obtained. However let us be very clear, we the discovery team needed no proof, we knew from the minute we saw her on the side scan sonar screen what/who she was (and confirmed by subsequent dives), but, from past experience we knew others would not necessarily take our word, especially given the huge discrepancies in how far the wreck is from any officially listed positions. So may I suggest, before too much Monday morning quarterbacking, that you read the media release as to exactly why the news was not released in 2007, rather than make what could be interpreted as sarcastic remarks re same, no offence meant. http://www.robin-brooks.com/articles/hms-exeter-wreck-found-press-release.pdf Also, ALL of the above 'interested' parties were immediately notified on our return to port in April 2008, one example of which can be seen here. http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.12833/changeNav/6568 Kevin D
Kevin, I am well aware of the Sydney fiasco from early 2007 and cringed when the guys said they were 99% sure it was Sydney so I can understand your wanting to be 110% positive by verifying with images. I'm not into conspiracy theories etc but had a bad notion you guys had been told to keep quiet which got me a bit hot under the collar. I had the privilege a couple of years ago to meet a widow of a Sydney sailor and to see the evidence of her pain so long after the event really shook me. So, naturally, my first thought was that the families had been left waiting another year. Still, it is best to give them the news they want rather than have to take it away again when it's proven not to be true. Thanks for taking the time to post the story behind the discovery of Exeter.
Have you seen these pictures already ? I apologise if you have ! Australia New Zealand Explorers Club - ANZEC Annie
