Norman's Bay Protected Wreck Site
Dive the Norman's Bay wreck site with the NAS
The NAS will be offering chances to dive the Norman's Bay wreck site (15m maximum) along with the Holland 5 Submarine (35m maximum) on 18th May, 30th June and the 1st July 2012
Diving in 2012 will be from "Dive125" www.dive125.co.uk out of Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne
Cost £70 for two dives - Holland 5 submarine in the morning and the Norman's Bay wreck in the afternoon on the Friday 18th May, or £75 for the two dives on the 30th June and the 1st July. Price does not include air or nitrox fills which are available on the boat
No NAS qualification required.
For the Holland 5 the minimum Diving Qualification is BSAC Dive Leader / PADI Rescue Diver. Nitrox use preferred. NO SINGLE TANKS - Pony rig or twin sets mandatory.
Dive the Norman’s Bay Wreck Diver Trail
If you are interested in diving the new protected wreck diver trail (which opened in 2011) please click on the calendar on on the right to see which dates are currently free.
To book a date please contact Mark at the NAS Office:
mark@nauticalarchaeologysociety.org
Frequently asked questions about diving the trail are at the bottom ofthe page
The Norman's Bay wreck is thought to be either the remains of the English Warship HMS Resolution which sank in the great storm of 1703 or may well be that of an allied Dutch Warship lost during the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690. IN this battle an allied English and Dutch force was heavily defeated by the French. Seven Dutch ships were lost in the battle, at least three of these are supposed to have sunk in Norman’s Bay. The names of two of the seven Dutch Ships are unknown the other five were the Vriesland, Wapen Van Utrecht, Maagd Van Enkhuizen, Elswout/Elswoud and Tholen.
Today the wreck site contains a cluster of at least forty-two iron guns, timber hull structure and various other artefacts including a large anchor on top of a ballast mound.
The scattered cannons are made up of (what are assumed to be) three 24-pounder cannons, seven Demi-Culverin/12-pounder cannons, fifteen Saker/6-pounder cannons and two 3-pounder cannons along with several that are too deeply buried or concreted to be measured. Alternatively taking into account an average 0.03m of concretion it is possible that there are ten 24-pound cannons, fifteen 12-pound cannons and two 6-pound cannons, which is more fitting with the armament of the warship HMS Resolution.
There are also several areas close together which had a layer of uniform red bricks scattered around, believed to be the galley area and in this area there was also found various pieces of thin copper sheeting which may represent fragments of the ships kettle.
The site contains plenty of flora and fauna including a large number of Tompot Blennies (Parablennius gattorugine) there are also Common Starfish (Asterias Rubens) over the site.
The NAS has now teamed up with site licencee and finder, Paul Stratford to help undertake survey work on the Norman’s Bay wreck. First dives by the NAS were undertaken on the site in June 2010.
The Resolution Project
Soon after the wreck found by Paul and his fellow divers in 2005, the site was protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act in June 2006. Following the designation Paul set up the Resolution Project http://www.resolutionproject.co.uk/ to act as the location to host information about this amazing story of survival against the forces of nature and time.
The Resolution Project aims to discover and share information to encourage a wider awareness of our rich maritime culture, history and heritage and is working with various bodies including the NAS to promote responsible diving with a purpose, to conserve our heritage and the rich and varied marine life that can be found beneath our coastal waters.
Further information on the Resolution Project including work undertaken on the site from the discovery in 2005 to 2009 can be found at:
http://www.resolutionproject.co.uk/
Norman’s Bay Wreck Project
In 2010, NAS member and Lloyd's Register employee Vince Jenkins was awarded a generous grant from the Lloyd's Register LR250 fund. (www.lr250.org). The funding was awarded to:
- To purchase and place a permanent marker buoy on the site, and
- To assist in the survey of the wreck
Members of the team also undertook NAS Training in order to facilitate their work on the site.
More information on their training and project can be found on the LR250 webpage a:t http://projects.lr250.org/projects/Normans-Bay-Wreck-Site-42
Buoying the site
On the weekend of the 7th-8th August 2010 the wreck was buoyed by the team from Lloyd's Register. This buoy is attached to a mooring system of two railway carriage wheels located within the designation area but only 14 meters from the main site.
Click to view full size image
The buoying of the site has paved the way for the NAS to establish a diver trail on the Norman’s Bay wreck as a way to facilitate visiting divers navigating their way around the site. Thanks must go to Lloyd's Register and to Vince and his team for their support and efforts.
The Diver Trail
The aim of the project is to develop and install a diver trail around the designated wreck site known as the Norman’s Bay wreck. The dive trail will be created in 2010 and launched in spring 2011. Once launched it will be promoted and used by Newhaven Scuba Centre and local charter boat skippers, who will be supported by the Nautical Archaeology Society. An underwater information booklet to guide divers around the site will be designed that will aid navigation and assist visitors in recognising features on the wreck. This booklet will also explain the background of the exposed remains and the problems and conflicts in identifying the wreck. Supporting web-pages will be created where descriptions and photographs from visiting divers can be posted. These web-pages will include an interactive trail using the material from the guide book and underwater photographs. The trail will be promoted by press release, circulated to several major diving magazines, and promotional posters for local and major diving shops. The project will run until the end of 2011 with a report detailing the number of divers participating and their feedback of the experience.
The project has now received financial support from English Heritage under the National Heritage Protection Commissions Programme (formally known as the Historic Environment Enabling Programme)
For more information, download the full project design
Project Timescale and Progress
June 2010
Initial visits to the site were made in June 2010 by the NAS and by Southsea Sub Aqua Club. These trips were focussed on assessing the condition of the site as no diving had been carried out since 2008. Thankfully the site appeared to have changed little since the 2006–7 plan produced by Wessex Archaeology and the conditions allowed a photographic survey to be undertaken by Martin Davies.
Click for full size image
At the same time a diver from Southsea Sub-Aqua club who works as a marine biologist undertook the first (hopefully of many) Seasearch survey of the site to evaluate the marine life on the wreckage. For more information on Seasearch, please visit
http://www.seasearch.co.uk/
Click for full size image
August 2010 – building the diver stations
 Thanks to Mr Charles Pochin the diver stations have been built and are ready to go on the seabed. As part of the licensing process we have received permission to place them on the Protected Wreck by the Department of Culture Media and Sport and are awaiting permission to leave them on the seabed from the Marine Management Organisation which should be granted early September.
Click for full size image
September 2010
Between the 16th and 19th September 2010 a team of divers from the NAS and from the Nautical Archaeology Sub Aqua Club (NASAC) had excellent weather conditions which meant that a total of 12 diver stations were placed on the seabed around the site.
Click for full size image
8 of the stations have been positioned at strategic places around the perimeter of the wreck near points of interest. These 8 stations have been mapped to each other and in relation to the site using tape measure distances and compass bearings. A further 4 diver stations have been placed just off to the west of the wreck to be used as a training area for visiting NAS trainees.
Each of the concrete diver stations appeared to weigh about 50kg (in water) and had to be put on the seabed using the boat’s winch and the moved on the seabed using lifting bags. The stations will now be left over the winter and revisited again in the spring of 2011 to see if they are stable on the seabed and how much marine growth has covered both the stations.
Click for full size image
A huge thanks must go to the team of divers, Dave Knight skipper of “Trya”, the staff of Sovereign Harbour Marina, Jo Parnell at the Marine Management Organisation and to Alan Mead.
March 2011
The NAS launched the Norman’s Bay Wreck Diver Trail at the DiverSE’11 BSAC Southern Regional Conference on the 13th March 20011 in Guildford. Lots of dive clubs expressed an interest in adding the trail to their dive programme in 2011.
June 2011
The trail opened for diving in June 2011. To avoid too many divers on the site at the same time we are trying to give each diving group their own day or their own slack tide on the wreck. To see the dates already booked please look at the Calendar
To book at date please contact Mark at the NAS Office:mark@nauticalarchaeologysociety.org
Norman’s Bay Wreck Diver Trail FAQ’s
Q. Can I dive the site whenever I want to?
A. No. The wreck is protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 so you must be issued with a visitors licence to visit the site or have your name added to an existing licence held by another party. No survey, recovery or excavation work may be undertaken without additional licences.
Q. What is the easiest way for me or my group to dive the wreck?
A. Mark Beattie-Edwards of the NAS has a licence to dive the site and you can have the names of your divers added to his licence. Contact Mark or call the NAS Office.
Q. Can I apply for my own licence to visit the wreck?
A. Yes . See the English Heritage website for guidance on applying for your own licence to visit the wreck.
If you are granted your own licence to visit the wreck, English Heritage will automatically contact Mark Beattie-Edwards as the licensee to ensure that two groups are not diving the site at the same time.
Q. How do I book a date to dive the trail?
A. Please look at the Calendar to see dates already booked and contact at Mark Beattie-Edwards with suggestions of a date or dates suitable to your group.
Q. What diving qualification do I need?
A. The wreck is 10m-15m of water so it is suitable for all qualified divers.
Q. Do I need an NAS qualification to dive the site?
A. No. In order to visit the wreck you do not need any archaeological qualification. If you would like to help survey the site with the NAS you would need the minimum of an NAS Part 1 Certificate in Foreshore and Underwater Archaeology
Q. Where would we be diving from?
A. Eastbourne’s Sovereign Harbour run by Premier Marinas is only 3.5Nm away from the wreck. There are a number of charter boats that operate out of Sovereign Harbour. There is no RIB launching slipway the marina but they do offer a crane in and crane out service at the weekends. Contact the marina for information and rates.
Q. How can we find the wreck?
A. Use the GPS co-ordinates 500 48.1767” N, 000 24.6380” E (WGS84) . There is a large yellow can buoy over the wreck which leads down to a clump weight. From here follow the white line NE to the wreck. The blue line leads to an NAS survey training area. PLEASE DO NOT MOOR ON TO THE BUOY AND DO NOT DROP YOUR OWN SHOT ON TO THE WRECK.
Q. How do we obtain underwater trail guides?
A. Once you have a date booked to dive the site you will be contacted to arrange delivery and return of the guides for your diving group. These guides are available for a £5.00 deposit per guide which will be refunded when the guides are returned to the NAS.
Q. Can I add my photographs to the project archive?
A. Yes. Please either send photographs to the NAS office or please join the project Flickr group and add your photos with a description and a date the photograph was taken
Q. Can I take video of the wreck?
A. Yes. Please feel free to take video of the wreck . To help us build a better understanding of the site please supply a copy of the video to the NAS. We will be trying to developing movies and virtual dives which will be hosted on the NAS website and on YouTube.
Q. Can I record the marine life for Seasearch ?
A. Yes. The site is a wonderful reef for marine life. Please feel free to complete a Seasearch Recorder or Surveyor Form and send to Seasearch. The NAS would appreciate a copy of the form so we can see how many people are recording the marine life and what they are finding on the wreck.
Q. Can we help survey the site?
A. Yes. If you have already undertaken NAS training and would like to help improve the survey of the wreck please contact Mark at the NAS office and a suitable task can be offered to you.
Q. Will I be required to report our dive details to anyone?
A. Yes. If you have your own visitors licence from English Heritage you will be required to report your activities to them. If you dive the site on the NAS licence you will be asked to complete a short feedback form and asked to supply diving statistics to allow us to monitor the success of the trail.
Q. What if I still have questions?
A. Please contact Mark at the NAS office |
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