Overview

• A team of archaeologists, dendrochronologists and community volunteers used tree-ring analysis and archival records to confirm the wreck’s identity as the Earl of Chatham, formerly HMS Hind.
• The vessel served in 18th-century naval campaigns at Louisbourg, Quebec and during the American Revolutionary War before joining the whaling fleet and wrecking off Sanday in March 1788 with no loss of life.
• The exposed oak timbers, uncovered by a February 2024 storm, are now preserved in a freshwater tank at Sanday Heritage Centre as stakeholders weigh display and research options.
• Historic Environment Scotland, Wessex Archaeology and local heritage groups are evaluating long-term conservation strategies and exhibition plans for the wreck remains.
• Accelerating storminess and changing coastlines could bring more buried wrecks to light, prompting ongoing monitoring and community engagement in Orkney’s “cradle of shipwrecks.”