Battleship · 1910–1917 · Orkney, United Kingdom
HMS Vanguard
Also known as HMS Vanguard (1909).
A little before midnight on 9 July 1917, a chain of blasts ripped through the anchorage at Scapa Flow, hurling debris onto ships lying half a mile off. HMS Vanguard had exploded where she was moored. Two of the 845 men aboard lived. No accident in the whole of the twentieth century cost the Royal Navy more lives.
The Court of Enquiry put it down to cordite going off by accident: unstable propellant kept in magazines whose temperatures were badly controlled. So complete was the destruction that her remains, strewn over the seabed in 34 metres off the north coast of Flotta, look little like the St Vincent-class dreadnought she had been.
The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 makes her a war grave, as it does HMS Royal Oak, and diving on her is forbidden. Those of her dead who could be recovered are buried at Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery on Hoy, looking out over the water where they died.
- Type
- BattleshipBritish
- Year built
- 1910Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness
- Lost
- July 9th, 1917Internal explosion
- Casualties
- 843World War I — accidental loss
- Length
- 163.4 m25.6 m beam
- Depth
- 34 m
- Location
- Orkney, United KingdomScapa Flow
5 of 7 facts above are cited in Sources below.
Deeper than 108 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost July 9th, 1917 · Internal explosion · World War I — accidental loss · Orkney, United Kingdom.
At about 23:20 on 9 July 1917, as she lay at anchor in Scapa Flow, a series of internal magazine explosions destroyed HMS Vanguard. Of those aboard, 843 died and just 2 survived, making it the heaviest accidental loss of life the Royal Navy suffered in the 20th century. The Court of Enquiry found that cordite had exploded unintentionally.
A St Vincent-class dreadnought battleship with a complement of 753, she could make 21 knots and had a range of 6,900 nm at 10 knots. She carried 5 twin 12-inch guns, 20 x 4-inch guns and 3 x 18-inch torpedo tubes.
Built 1910 by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness; 7 years in service, also recorded as HMS Vanguard (1909). Lost July 9th, 1917, internal explosion during World War I — accidental loss.
Condition of the WreckScattered.
Intactness
Heavily fragmented by the explosion. Wreck lies in approximately 34m off the north coast of Flotta.
Notable Features
- Fragmented by catastrophic explosion
- Only 2 survivors from crew of 845
Regulations and RestrictionsWar grave · Protected site.
Diving prohibited without permission: designated war grave (Protection of Military Remains Act 1986). Controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Ministry of Defence). DIVING GENERALLY FORBIDDEN. Designated war grave. Protected under Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
No access — war grave; all artefact removal prohibited.
Additional Details16 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Nationality
- British
- Flag
- United Kingdom
- Builder
- Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness
- Propulsion
- Steam turbine — 18 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 24,500 shp
- Loss date
- July 9th, 1917
- Conflict / event
- World War I — accidental loss
- Latitude
- 58.86° N
- Longitude
- 3.11° W
- Water body
- Scapa Flow
- Protection regime
- Designated Controlled Site — Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
- Artefact restrictions
- No access — war grave; all artefact removal prohibited
- Restrictions
- DIVING GENERALLY FORBIDDEN. Designated war grave. Protected under Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
- War grave
- Yes
- Protected
- Yes
- Permit required
- No
- Condition
- Scattered
Sources and VerificationEvery cited fact on this page traces to a published source.
- Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore, NRHE)inspire.hes.scot · Official record10 facts
- UK Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record6 facts
- Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore) (archived)canmore.org.uk · Official record4 facts
- hmdb.org (archived)hmdb.org · Secondary source6 facts
- huskyan.comhuskyan.com · Secondary source6 facts
- naval-encyclopedia.comnaval-encyclopedia.com · Secondary source5 facts
- orkneymuseums.co.ukorkneymuseums.co.uk · Secondary source4 facts
- bbc.combbc.com · Secondary source3 facts
- militaer-wissen.de (archived)militaer-wissen.de · Secondary source3 facts
- Scapa Flow Wrecksscapaflowwrecks.com · Secondary source3 facts
- scotsman.com (archived)scotsman.com · Secondary source3 facts
- orkney.gov.ukorkney.gov.uk · Secondary source2 facts
- royalnavy.mod.uk (archived)royalnavy.mod.uk · Secondary source2 facts
- theorkneynews.scottheorkneynews.scot · Secondary source2 facts
- ibiblio.orgibiblio.org · Secondary source1 fact
- Divernetdivernet.com · Club or operator4 facts
- Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · Background reading17 facts
Background reading is listed for context and is not counted as a citation for the facts above.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Historic Environment Scotland.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.
A further 6 fields were derived from the wreck’s recorded position rather than taken from a source.
Licences and credits for the open data used on this site are on the Attribution page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the HMS Vanguard?
HMS Vanguard is the wreck of a battleship, off Orkney, United Kingdom, at 34 metres. HMS Vanguard was destroyed by an explosion in 1917.
How deep is the HMS Vanguard?
HMS Vanguard lies at approximately 34 metres, Off north coast of Flotta, Scapa Flow.
How did the HMS Vanguard sink?
HMS Vanguard was destroyed by an explosion on July 9th, 1917 during World War I — accidental loss, off Orkney, United Kingdom. 843 people lost their lives.
Is the HMS Vanguard protected?
Yes. HMS Vanguard is protected: controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Ministry of Defence). HMS Vanguard is recorded as a war grave.