The Swan and HMS Dartmouth Visitor Schemes
Diving on 350year old shipwrecks - you don't have
to be an archaeologist! Here's How.....
Lochaline Dive Centre operates a visitor licence
on the wrecks of the Swan and HMS Dartmouth. This special licence is operated
with agreement from Historic Scotland and the Advisory Committee on Historic
Shipwreck Sites (ACHWS) and under the terms of the licence, the names of
every visitor must be notified to Historic Scotland.
A visitor licence on the Swan has been held since
1994 and since then, approximately 550 divers have visited the Swan. Lochaline
Dive Centre obtained a second licence in 1996, enabling authorised trips
to the nearby designated site of HMS Dartmouth. Since then, approximately
320 divers have visited the HMS Dartmouth.
How the scheme works
All trips to designtated sites must be supervised
by the licensee. Both the Swan and HMS Dartmouth are located in fairly
shallow water (10-12 metres).
On the seabed visitors will be able to see cast iron cannon, anchors, and
some ship's structure. Each visitor will be carrying around a copy of a
site plan of the wreck and will be able to follow a trail, which will point
significant aspects of the ship out to you. . What isn't visible during
the dive will be explained in a slide talk after the dive. The talk is
useful for explaining about the work of archaeologists to survey and excavate
each wreck, and about numerous artefacts which have been recovered during
work on the sites. Visitors receive a specially designed log book stamp
and a pamphlet about the Duart Wreck. These trips are operated strictly
on a 'look but don't remove basis'; so far noone has broken that rule.
See the archaeologists at work
Visitors to the Swan during July and August 2000
were able to witness the archaeologists at work underwater, and to see
exposed wooden features, and a rich variety of other artefactual remains
such as leather shoes, pottery, cast iron guns, and coins. This opportunity
will be repeated during 2001.
If you or your group are interested in diving
on the Swan or HMS Dartmouth, take a look at our current course programme
here,
or contact us by e-mail
to discuss your plans.