Diving the A1 & Fossil bed drift 9th August 2012

This was one of those dives that as a diver, one has to do. The submarine is a real piece of history that is mostly intact and of a size that can be appreciated under water.

There is an interesting spread of life of crabs, gobies, a wrasse at the stern, one rather nice lobster under the bow with a shoal of Pollock around the top of the bow. There was a shoal of junior bib halfway between the stern and the conning tower.

I would have said that it is a 30~40 minute dive to see it all, enjoying it, and at 11 metre down is a relacking dive. Dan and I stayed on the wreck for 52 minutes, which was a bit too long as once seen does not hold ones interest for that long.

I never have much luck with the drift dive on fossil bed drift, too many dives when I have just seen a muddy bottom for 40 minutes in a 1 metre viz hanging on until mentally I gave up!

This dive was better than that with a bit of rough surface and some life, with Dan finding a lobster. I just don’t know how he does it, I get the feeling that he could find a lobster in a garden pond!  The viz on this dive was 2~3 metres, which was hard work with three divers on a drift dive.

Once I came across an area at the end of a ‘good’ fossil bed drift that looked as if I could find some shark teeth. So I always live in hope of hitting the ‘jackpot’ with a future fossil bed drift.

To view the video in the YouTube website click the link: Diving the A1 & Fossil bed drift

The A1 is a protected wreck and was the Royal Navy’s first submarine. The A1 was launched 9^th July 1902. The A1 was accidentally rammed by the SS Berwick on the 18^th March 1904 with the loss of two officers and nine ratings.The wreck was salvaged and modified with a second water tight hatch at the base of the conning tower. The A1 was put back into service but was finally used as an underwater target and finally lost in 1911.

After the wreck was found in 1989, by a fisherman who snagged his nets on an underwater object, Martin Woodward dived on the object and identified it as the HMS/m A1.The AI was then subsequently bought by Martin Woodward in 1994. In 1997 the wreck of the A1 came under the protection of wrecks act 1973.

Taking extracts from the Archaeological Report:

HMS/M A1, BRACKLESHAM BAY, WEST SUSSEX.

April 2006 Ref: 53111.03jj

Prepared by: Wessex Archaeology

The wreck of the HMS/m A1 represents the remains of the first truly British designed and built submarine, following on directly from the Holland Class design bought from America. After the HMS/m A1 was constructed it was decided to make major changes to the A class boats, such as increasing the firepower by adding a second torpedo tube (to lie side by side), therefore making the HMS/m A1 a unique example of early British submarine design.

While the site itself has been subjected to the illegal removal of a considerable amount of internal and external fittings the main hull structure remains in relatively good condition for a wreck that has lain at the bottom of the Solent for nearly 100 years.

Type: A Class

Dimensions:     Length: 103 feet 3 inches, diameter: 12 feet 8 inches

Lost:                 1911

Cargo:              None, not carrying torpedoes at time

Complement:   12 crew, none on board at time of sinking

Built:                Vickers Sons & Maxim Ltd at Barrow-in-Furness

Launched:       9th July 1902

Length:            103 feet 3 inches

Length of remains: 24.5m

Beam:              12 feet 8 inches

Draught:           11 feet 6 inches

Displacement 165 tons surfaced/180 tons submerged

Lost:                 1911

Cause:             Tow line parted

Armament:       One 18in torpedo tube in bow, with two reloads carried (total of three). The A1 is not thought to have been carrying torpedos when it was lost.

Complement:   11 (not manned at the time of its loss in 1911). Two officers and nine ratings were lost when it first sank, when it was rammed by SS Berwick Castle on 18th March, 1904.