HMS Flotta

6 November 1941 57 27.317N 01 41.365W 56 in 62 metres

Built: 1941 by Cochranes of Selby Ltd

Construction: steel, Isles Class Minesweeper, 545 grt, length 164 ft (50m), beam 27.5 ft (8.4m), draught 10.5ft (3.2m)

Propulsion: triple expansion, 850 NHP, machinery by C.D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull

Registered: Royal Navy, Pennant No T171

Less than a year old, whilst under command of T/Sub.Lt. A Smith RNVR, HMS Flotta ran aground on 29th October 1941 one mile north of Rattray Head. A NNE gale was blowing and there were heavy seas. She was stranded high up on the beach and her crew were taken off by the coastguard rocket lifesaving apparatus.

A number of the crew remained onboard in an attempt to save the vessel and on the 6th November she was floated off and taken under tow south by a tug. However by 9:15 that evening it was clear that she was having difficulties and the officer in charge radioed the coastguard to request the assistance of the Peterhead lifeboat. By 9:30, the Flotta was off Buchan Ness and was sinking. At 9:35 the Julia Park Barry of Glasgow was launched and headed south to give aid, she passed the tug on the way, returning to Peterhead with 9 of the crew which they had saved. When the lifeboat arrived at the given position for the Flotta she saw the H. M. Trawler Filey Bay who informed her the Flotta had sunk and that they had two crew members and one dead man onboard.

On returning to Peterhead, the lifeboat caught up with the tug and took onboard the nine crew members that had been saved, however five were lost in the incident: George C Barrett, Engineman, RNR; Thomas N Bewick, Ordinary Seaman, RNPS; Bernard Quinn, Stoker, RNPS; Neville Sadd, Seaman, RNPS; William H Thomas, Leading Seaman, RNPS.

We found a significantly sized wreck in February 2007 when performing an echo-sounder search at a fisherman's Decca coordinates for the '4-Miler' wreck. We dived the site on the 18th May and discovered an upright and intact Isles Class minesweeper - no doubt whatsoever that it could only be HMS Flotta.

HMS Flotta lies in 62 metres at 57 27.317N 01 41.365W orientated 040/220 degrees with the bow to the north-east at 57 27.327N 01 41.351W and the stern to the south-west at 57 27.306N 01 41.382W. She is upright and intact, highest point is the fo'c'sle where the forward 12-pounder gun has fallen from its mounts. The superstructure is relatively intact with K-Gun depth-charge launchers on either side and depth charges stowed in their racks. Aft of the bridge there is an anti-aircraft machine-gun position and at the stern, the depth-charge launching rails. All of the depth-charges we have seen on the wreck appear to be in a safe condition, the casings have rusted-through and explosive contents have dispersed - one of them is now home to a lobster.

HMS Flotta was a wonderful find, a virtually intact WWII Royal Navy vessel - a reasonably small ship but with so much to see on her she became the 'must dive' of the season. She sits upright, her bow perfectly intact with beautifully sharp lines of a WWII vessel, behind this the decking on her focsle is intact with winches, bollards and anchors in place. Behind this, her raised gun platform sits, some of the decking rotted through to show the foredeck below. In the centre of this platform is the gun mount with the gun lying on the deck to the port side, she must have been trawled off her mount at some point in the past. Dropping down behind the raised platform is a deck area littered with interesting components from the bridge behind. We have found electrical equipment, lamps and the makers plate which confirmed her identity. Behind this, the bridge structure remains but the front plates are rotted through to reveal her telegraph (the head has fallen off but remains attached by the communication cables) and steering column still in place. Loads of interesting bits and pieces in this area - the whole of two floors of equipment, cabling, pipes and a voicepipe (with plug in place) to be found here. Following the port side stern-wards (her deck is about 2m proud of the seabed) we follow the deck - with plenty wood still in place, past the engine room skylights (glass still in place) and then come to the first depth charge, suspended in her K-Gun firing cradle, a little further on, a second and third depth charge and then her K-Gun still in place, mounted at a 60 degree angle and pointing out to port. Around this area is a firing compass still in it's binnacle, glass intact and still filled with alcohol, it is possible to see the marked compass plate inside.

Beyond this area is a broken area of deck accommodation and then to her stern, which is damaged slightly, her depth charge rails still in place. Turning and heading towards her bow, amidships we rise up and come to the AA gun emplacement. This cylindrical arrangement would have housed the AA gun, the mount is still in place but the guns long gone. They were trawled up by a Boddam fishing boat in the 1960's by "Alekie John" who described them as "muskets" and donated them to the Peterhead Museum. In this area there are 100's of rounds still in their firing chains. Over the emplacement and down to the starboard deck, this side of the ship has wooden decking virtually intact - a lovely sight. Follow along the engine room, back to the bridge area, passing deck cabins and doorways and hatchways. She is so intact it is almost unreal. On one dive, we were treated to the best visibility I have ever had on this coast. As I left the Flotta and rose up the shot-line, I looked down and could see the whole vessel stretch below me - almost like a ship in port - her clean lines and structure all close to perfect. An awesome sight! We could see the ripples on the surface of the sea from 52m down and at 20m, I left the other divers on shot line while I reeled out my wreck line horizontally until I couldn't see them any more. Later we measured the length of the line which I had reeled out - 27m! HMS Flotta and the Charles Goodanew are probably my favourite two small wrecks on our coast, I would recommend them to anyone.