HMS Queen Mary was the second
British battlecruiser
to blow up under fire during the Battle of
Jutland. Queen Mary was exchanging salvos
with both Seydlitz and Derfflinger, scoring
hits on both, when she was herself struck
by three shells out of a four-gun salvo.
Seconds later Queen Mary blew up in a tremendous
explosion, taking 1266 men to their graves.
There were 9 survivors, one of which also
survived the sinking of the destroyer HMS
Petard only hours later.
The wreck of the Queen Mary was discovered
in 1991, and is the deepest of the Jutland
wrecks, so it has suffered little from the
commercial salvagers who have plundered the
other wrecks. The vessel lies in 196 feet
of water, with the shallowest part of the
wreck at 145 feet. Most of the shattered
wreck is upside down, with main gins and
turrets buried in the sand. But the sandy
bottom, combined with negligible currents,
means excellent visibility for the North
Sea. Visibility ranges from 60 feet on a
typical day to over 80 feet on a clear day.
The water is brutally cold. There is a surprising
amount of marine life around the wreck, considering
that the North Sea has a reputation as being
rather barren.
The HMS Queen Mary is a protected wreck,
and should be respected as a war grave. There
is much to see without penetrating the wreck,
as a 13.5 inch shell magazine is open, an
inverted turret lies nearby, boilers, internal
machinery, and even a launch litter the site.
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