I’ve previously shared the story of my 2x great-granduncle, William Reid and the tragedy of H.M.S. Vanguard. This week the Royal Navy officially announced they had recovered the bell, ship’s badge, and gun barrel cover (tampion) of H.M.S. Vanguard from the wreck in Scapa Flow.

The three artefacts are now stored in sealed containers of salt water while they await conservation. The recovery and conservation is part of a plan for a new exhibition and memorial at the Scapa Flow Museum in Orkney to remember the hundreds of men lost in the Vanguard tragedy, which occurred on 9 July 1917.

Read more:

• Artefacts from Royal Navy First World War Battleship Recovered From Seabed https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2025/july/25/20250725-artefacts-from-royal-navy-first-world-war-battleship-recovered-from-seabed
• William Reid and the tragedy of H.M.S. Vanguard https://untangledfamilyhistory.com/2024/07/09/william-reid-and-the-tragedy-of-h-m-s-vanguard/