We have a large collection of artefacts from First World War ships that belonged to the Navy or were undertaking war related work. The War at Sea left a huge number of wrecks off the south coast of England and in the waters of the Isle of Wight. Featured ships include:
- SS Mendi – this is the largest collection of artefacts from the Mendi on display anywhere in the world. The tragic loss of this troopship on the 21 February 1917 was a major loss of life for the South African military who lost 646 people.
- HMS P12 – A patrol vessel that was part of the Portsmouth escort force that was involved in a collision on the 4th November 1918 and cut in half, the stern half sank and the bow was beached on the east coast of the Island.
- HMS Boxer – an early torpedo boat destroyer, built in 1894, but sunk following a collision in 1918 in the eastern approaches to the island when it was part of the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla.
- HMS Velox – one of the earliest Royal Navy vessels to be powered by steam turbine propulsion, it sank after hitting a German contact mine while on patrol off the Nab Tower on 25th October 1915.
Find out more about First World War shipwrecks off the South Coast of England – click here.