Rotten wood found on a beach turns out to be part of a 250-year-old sunken warship

A winter storm scoured the dunes on Sanday, one of Scotland’s Orkney Islands, in February 2024. A schoolboy spotted curved ribs of timber protruding from the sand and set off a chain of calls, photos, and local buzz.

What followed was months of careful science and community sleuthing that pointed to a likely match, the Earl of Chatham, a former Royal Navy frigate once known as HMS Hind.

Locals hauled about 12 tons of oak timbers from the beach. Roughly 270 wrecks have been recorded around the island.

Identifying the HMS Hind

Marine archaeologist Ben Saunders of Wessex Archaeology (WA) worked with local researchers to assemble the evidence and narrow the field of candidates.

Their collaboration blended archival records, eyewitness notes, and close inspection of the exposed hull.

Using dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, specialists dated the timbers to the mid 1700s and linked the wood to southern England.

That time window lined up with a short list of ships known to have wrecked off Sanday in the late eighteenth century.

A 30 foot section of the hull became visible after storms in early 2024 and the vessel’s construction has been traced to Chichester in 1749. Those details were consistent with the records for HMS Hind.

From warship to whaler

HMS Hind was a sixth rate, 24 gun frigate built for speed and long patrols rather than ship of the line battles. Design and size made it useful for escort duty and hunting enemy commerce raiders.

It supported British forces at the sieges of Louisbourg and Quebec during the Seven Years’ War. During the American Revolutionary War, it escorted convoys and intercepted several privateers that threatened cargo and mail routes.

The Royal Navy sold the ship in 1784, and it was renamed the Earl of Chatham for Arctic whaling work. In March 1788 it wrecked in the Bay of Lopness near Sanday, and all 56 crew members survived.

HMS Hind’s exposed timber

The identification of the HMS Hind rested on converging clues rather than a single smoking gun. Timber dates, hull form, and archival entries all pointed to the same answer.

Community volunteers documented the exposed structure while researchers cross checked known losses off Sanday against ship sizes, home ports, and routes. Eliminating mismatches left one vessel that fit the evidence on every count.

“I would regard it as a lucky ship, which is a strange thing to say about a ship that’s wrecked,” said Saunders.

He explained that without the combined efforts of locals and researchers, the wreck might have eroded back into the sea before anyone could learn its story.

Why the location matters

Sanday has long had a reputation for dangerous channels and quicksand flats that catch mariners in bad weather.

Records list about 270 wrecks around its shores since the fifteenth century, a tally that explains why locals keep a close eye on the strandline.

The island spans about 20 square miles and has roughly 500 residents who know the beaches in fine detail. That local knowledge proved vital when the ribs first appeared.

Contemporary accounts suggest islanders salvaged usable gear from the 1788 wreck soon after it grounded. That would help explain the bare timbers that remained when the hull reemerged centuries later.

HMS Hind and climate change

Officials warn that increased storminess and unusual wind patterns can strip sand from beaches and expose buried remains that have rested undisturbed for generations.

The Sanday wreck became visible after such a winter pattern removed protective cover.

Coastal change is expected to accelerate in coming decades, which means more hidden sites could emerge with little warning. That prospect raises practical questions about site protection and rapid response.

Community involvement will remain essential because the first hours after exposure can decide whether delicate wood survives. Quick action on Sanday shows how local initiative and scientific advice can work together.

Next steps for HMS Hind

The timbers from the HMS Hind have been moved into a freshwater conservation tank at the Sanday Heritage Centre to keep them stable and prevent cracking or collapse.

Visitors can view the tank and learn about Sanday’s long maritime story.

Fresh water storage allows salts to leach out slowly while conservators clean the surfaces and record each piece.

Later stages can include controlled drying and the use of consolidants so that fragile structure remains intact over time.

The hull rested for centuries in the intertidal zone, where repeated wetting and drying can weaken cells and joints. Without careful conservation, exposed oak can crumble within weeks.

Archaeologists continue to refine the ship’s activity timeline by comparing logs, pay books, and dockyard notes with the surviving wood. Each new match increases confidence in the identification.

Specialists are also mapping every plank and bolt to understand how repairs over the years changed the hull. Those patterns reveal how a warship adjusted to whaling work in harsh northern waters.

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