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Read about the resumption of the search for Admiral von Spee’s World War 1 cruisers, which is here provided as an interview with Project Director Mensun Bound, the renowned Marine Archaeologist, attempting to locate and research the ships. Follow us to hear first about the project’s activity and successes.

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In 2014, to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Falklands in World War 1, Mensun Bound, a Falkland Islander himself, led an expedition to try to find the von Spee’s lost cruiser squadron, the whereabouts of which has become one the great mysteries of the maritime world.  Now he is resuming the hunt. Follow BOTFI on Tumblr to learn more and hear first about the finds on this fascinating expedition.

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Log.  Sunday 7 April 2019.  Day 1.

To those who said we wouldn’t be back, well, here we are, almost four years to the day, south east of Port Stanley and ready to resume the search for Admiral von Spee’s lost fleet from the Battle of the Falklands.

Things are very different from when we were last here.  Back then we had a small ship of trawler design called the Endeavour.  Now we have a much bigger vessel, the Seabed Constructor (check her out), the most advanced deep-ocean search-and-survey ship in the world.   Before we used a towed system;  a side-scan sonar fish at the end of 3 to 5 kilometres of cable, that we would send down to depths of over 2000 m and there we would hold at an altitude of just 30 to 45 m above seabed.  In Cape Horn seas this was white-knuckle stuff, get it wrong and we would drive the fish into the seabed and lose it.  The Seabed Constructor, by contrast, is equipped with a fleet of the most advanced Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) in the world.  We programme them to go where we want, we then release them and, two or three days later, they come back with data that we hope will contain what we are looking for, which we then go down and evaluate using our two ROVs (remote operated vehicles).

Why has it taken so long to return?  Assembling a fleet of AUVs takes time.  You can’t just walk into a store and order a pat of butter, a six-pack of suds and ‘oh, half a dozen AUVs please’.  These are ultra-sophisticated vehicles that are made-to-order at a cost of millions.  And then a special company - Ocean Infinity - had to be set up with a specific type of ship and a large team of highly-trained technicians.  And then, just when everything was up and running, other projects came up which prevented the resumption of the search for the World War One ships.  First there was the Indian Ocean hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and then there was the search for the lost Argentine submarine San Juan and, more recently, we were looking for Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea.     

But now we are back.

First light this morning we were in Port William (Port Stanley’s outer harbour) disembarking ‘1 pax’ for medical attention and sheltering from a Sea State 12 - that’s a hurricane to anybody not familiar with the Beaufort scale.  This was serious stuff. There is no Sea State 13.  Winds over 65 knots and gusting to much higher. Huge waves, sea white with foam, air full of driving spray.  Not nice.  But like every ship in the area, we were not so stupid as to be out there admiring it;  we saw it coming on the satellite weather feeds and so, like all the others, when the tempest was at its most furious we were tucked up like bugs in a rug in one of the many havens around the Falklands.

By mid-afternoon the storm was coming down and, anxious to be operational at first opportunity (because we only have a few days and so cannot waste a moment), we decided to put out for the site.  With the winds still pumping in from the west it was a downhill scud, and by midnight we were on station and somewhere within the arena where, on the 8th December 1914, the great battle had been fought.

As I write this we are hunkered down, nose into the wind, and waiting for the sea to go down so we can launch.  It is not that we cannot launch, we can, but if something goes wrong, we will not be able to recover.  And so we wait, poised.  As soon as we get ‘green light to go’, we will release the AUVs from over the stern and they will set out to search the bottom lands for the pride of the Kaiser’s navy, the great armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

Mensun Bound, Project Director

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Log of RSV Endeavour 13.04.2015: Final Log

From RSV Endeavour   Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Monday 13 April 2015.  Day 104

Remarks:   Today, after 104 days, the project ended.  After a rough passage Endeavour arrived alongside FIPASS at 0900 hrs  where Andreas Norden, Wael Dabbous and MB left ship for air-bridge back to England.  As soon as the vessel had cleared customs she hastened off through the Narrows, anxious to be as far north as possible before the current storm system wraps itself around the Falklands.  Its next stop will be Montevideo for a refit.

If I might, I would like to end on a personal note. I don’t think I need dwell on the disappointment we all feel at not having been able to deliver the result that so many so keenly desired, but, in this regard, I feel a particular sense of regret for the von Spee, Sturdee and Cradock families (the descendants of the three fighting admirals), who gave the project their support and thereafter followed our activities with avid interest.

A project of this size would not have been possible without the help and support of a great many people.  Space forbids that I list them all, but there are some who, for the extent and nature of their contribution, cannot go unmentioned.

My foremost debt is to our sponsor whose generosity made the project possible, but who has always been adamant in his wish to remain anonymous.  Although not on the ship he was completely involved in the planning and in every phase of our activities once in the field. There are not words to thank him adequately for all he has done.

It is also a pleasure to be able to record here my gratitude to Sverker Hallstrom, the owner of Endeavour.  Not only did he make his vessel, equipment, crew and staff available to us at a rock-bottom, non-profit price, but also he was in constant contact with us throughout the mission with advice and encouragement.  His decades of experience were invaluable in dealing with equipment problems and the interpretation of some rather abstract side-scan data.

In the Falklands we are particularly indebted for the support we received from the Governor, Colin Roberts, CVO, and the Members of the Legislative Assembly.

The project came under the general auspices of the ‘1914 Committee’ a special committee that was established in January 2012 to organize the events surrounding the 100th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of the Falklands.  At the first meeting of the Committee somebody stood up and asked if it would be possible to find the wrecks - everything that followed proceeded from that moment.  The Chairman of the Committee (hand-picked by then Governor Nigel Haywood) was Phyllis Rendell, and it was she who thereafter worked harder than any other to make the search for the wrecks a reality.  There were many challenges in the two years that followed and, during those moments, it was always Phyllis’s steadfast enthusiasm that kept us going.

In England vital leadership was provided by former Governor of the Falklands, Donald Lamont, who, as Chairman of the Falkland Islands Maritime Heritage Trust, oversaw the management of the funding and the preparation of the legal framework within which the project operated.  In all of this he was ably assisted by his fellow trustees William Featherstone, David Ainslie and another former Governor, Alan Huckle.   The project was also much helped by the Friends of the Falkland Islands Museum and Archives Trust (FIMA) which is also chaired by Donald Lamont.  Both Trusts received legal assistance from Tom Murdock of Stoneking and David Gwillim and Nigel Dewar Gibb of Pitmans.   Graham Bound, a Trustee of FIMA, deserves special thanks for time he spent preparing press releases.

On the ship I would like to express my personal thanks to Captain Roger White from Honduras who kept us safe during some difficult moments and never once faltered in his determination.  Above all, he created the kind of atmosphere on board which brought the best out of everyone.   As for the crew, they were champions all - and it is remarkable that not once in over four months did I ever hear a cross word; for those familiar with ships and the sea, this is indeed a rarity.  Of the crew let me commend the following:  Luigi Chettani, Juan Sosa,  Jaumer Sanchez,  Belham Vega,  Luis Calix,  Ionut Ghinea, Domingo Diaz, Jimy Pena, Julio Paz, Luis Torres, Daniel Chifor and Stefan Ichim.

Nor can I praise too much the Swedish survey team led by the remarkable Joel Soderman and ably assisted by Andreas Noren, Leon Hallstrom, Emma Julin and Emil Eriksson.  Their professionalism was exemplary, and when there were the inevitable equipment failures, they worked with complete unity of purpose, for however long it took, to make everything once more operational.

There was beneath us an incredible support team of two who handled every need and crisis with perfect efficiency; they were Viorel Ceanga  in Miami and Pierre-Mary Schbath in France.  Within the Falklands there were also a number of people who were always there to help; foremost among them was our agent, Lewis Clifton of Byron Marine, but also we are indebted to Malcolm Jamieson  at Fish Ops, Robert King at Customs, Luke Hyashi at MPA, and Tim Millar of the Garden Centre and Tim Cotter of Consolidated Fisheries.  Particular thanks is also owing to David Allan, especially during the planning and mobilization phase, his advice was not always what we wanted to hear, but it was always apposite and saved us from making mistakes that would have cost us dear in time and money.  Joyce Alan very kindly loaned a vehicle that was often used to run errands, transport people to and from meetings and, most important of all, on rare occasions take people to hospital for medical and dental requirements.

The research phase of this project went on for almost five years in the archives and museums of the Britain, Germany and the Falklands; the many archivists and curators who help will be listed in a more academic manner elsewhere, but mention must here be made of my colleague Thomas Schmid, one of the foremost authorities on WWI ships who worked shoulder to shoulder with me in archives and museums throughout Germany. My intellectual debt to him is more than I can repay.  Others who were outstanding for their assistance during the research phase were Leona Roberts, Tansy Newman, Colleen Biggs and Rob Rowlands.

With the navigational research, the detailed scrutiny of the historic coordinates and the preparation of search charts, it is a pleasure to be able to record here my sincere thanks to the ROV expert Bob Christ of the underwater engineering and robotics company Sea Trepid of Louisiana, the two years spent pouring over data with him and his team were an education. In this regard we are also indebted to Alain Bernard of the Hydrographic Survey Office and to British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge for sharing with us their swath bathymetry.   More recently the project received valuable assistance from my old friend John Kingsford and his associate Peter Cope.  Mention must also be made here of the good advice we received from the sonar specialist Rob McCallum.

In our research on the topography and hydrography we collaborated closely with the Texas oil company Noble Energy who hold the licence for the area which contained our search parameters.  They very kindly made their bathymetric studies of the area available to us, and of this this we made use on an almost daily basis.  The two people at Noble Energy with whom we worked most closely were Rob Bunge (Exploration Manager), and the Company’s representative in the Falklands, Richard Winkelman.

For obvious reasons it was essential that the German Government were assured that the project was strictly non-disturbance and, once in the field, they were regularly brief on progress.  In this regard we are very grateful indeed to Commander Jan Hackstein of the German Embassy in London who not only kept his Foreign Office informed but who also represented his Navy and Government at the Battle of the Falklands commemorations in Stanley last December.

The project was filmed by the media company TVT of London, and here I would like to express particular thanks to Charles Thompson, Matthew Wortman, Wael Dabbous, Josh Wardle, Daniel Petry and Thea Wrobbel.

We realized early on that, because of the sensitive nature our work, it was important to be totally transparent in everything we did.  The dissemination of information on a daily basis was therefore important.  In this regard I am indebted to my old friend Hugo Pickering in Oxfordshire for his management of the blog, and to Dan Allan in New York who ran the twitter feed.

And finally, the person to whom I owe most for support and constant encouragement, my wife, Joanna.

And so that’s the way it was; 104 days, we gave it our best, we didn't quite get there, but it was one helluva ride.  Thank you all.

Mensun Bound

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Log of RSV Endeavour 12.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - On site Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Sunday 12 April 2015.  Day 103

Grapnel with cable

Remarks:  

Dramatic final day at sea.  Before lunch it was decided to attempt one last drag with the grapnel for the lost fish before returning to Stanley Harbour in time to beat the coming storm.  About 1300 hrs the grapnel got caught in something on the seabed and would not budge.  For the next two hours the ship tried a range of manoeuvres in an attempt to free the iron.  Nothing worked and all the time the sea was building.  At about 1430 hrs the grapnel became free but, as it was being raised, it became apparent the something very weighty was attached.  At 1500 hrs the grapnel reached the surface and, to our surprise, it held the cable of the lost fish behind one of its flukes.  Everyone was visibly delighted at the prospect of recovering the sonar which, by then, had been on the seabed for 21 days.  The raised cable was passed around the drum of the main winch which then began to wind it in; however, an hour later when they got to the end, it was found that the cable had ruptured and that the fish was still on the seafloor.  The attachment shows the grapnel with the cable attached.

Endeavour is now heading for Stanley harbour in storm conditions.  Current ETA, 0700 hrs.

Mensun Bound (1600 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 11.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - On site Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Saturday 11 April 2015.  Day 102

Lowering the grapnel in to the sea

Search Area 2.  Survey Line -2 Heading 37˚ Fish in water:  1125 hrs.  Lat   52   46.670   Long   56   41.540 Fish commenced line:  1220 hrs.  Ship  Lat  52   44.304   Long  56   38.592.  Fish Lat  52  45.490   Long  56   40.068

Max. length of tow-cable deployed:  4270 m| Depth:  1230 to 1390 m Altitude of fish above seabed:  50 m Av. Speed:  3.6 knts Fish completed line:  2009 hrs, 10 iv 15.  Position of ship  Lat  52   15.821  Long  56   03.800.  Position of fish  Lat  52   16.827.  Long  56   04.444 Fish on deck: 2135 hrs.  Lat 52   15.333    Long  56   02.123

Results: Nothing of archaeological interest.

Search Area 2.  Survey Line -4 Heading 217˚ Fish in water:  2149 hrs.  Lat   52   16.010   Long   56   02.430 Fish commenced line:  2250 hrs.  Ship  Lat  52   18.840   Long  56   05.920.  Fish Lat  52  17.298   Long  56   04.004 Max. length of tow-cable deployed:  4867 m Depth:  1210 to 1440 Altitude of fish above seabed:  50 m Av. Speed:  3.8 knts Fish completed line:  0800 hrs, 11 iv 15.  Position of ship  Lat  52   48.050  Long  56   42.240.  Position of fish  Lat  52  46.053.  Long  56   39.752 Fish on deck: 0920 hrs.

Results: Nothing of archaeological interest.

Remarks:   At 0920 we completed our final line.  Tomorrow we will return to the Stanley Harbour. It will be recalled that, on the 22 March, the main tow-fish was lost with 4653 m of cable in 1566 m of water.  We tried, without success, to find it using the back-up side-scan sonar, but the target was too small to register.  This morning the ship’s welder manufactured a grapnel from sheet iron, and we are currently dragging the bottom in a last attempt to recover the lost fish.  The attachment shows the grapnel being lowered into the water.

Mensun Bound (1600 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 10.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - On site Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Friday 10 April 2015.  Day 101

Search Area 3.  Survey Line -11 (Continued from last entry) Max. length of tow-cable deployed: 5030 m Depth:  1480 to 1557 m Altitude of fish above seabed:  40-50 m Av. Speed:  4.0 knts Lost connection with fish:  1655 hrs, 9 iv 15.  Position of ship  Lat  52   33.211  Long  55   49.619.  Position of fish  Lat  52   35.114.  Long  55   51.979 Fish on deck: N/A. Results:   Lost communication with fish.  The line was aborted about 500 m from the end.  It was afterwards discovered that somebody had unintentionally unplugged the wiring on the deck.  Nothing of archaeological interest.

Search Area 3.  Survey Line -13 Heading 217˚ Fish commenced line:  0017 hrs.  Ship  Lat  52   48.448   Long  55   7.2010.  Fish Lat  52  46.2093   Long  55   04.411 Max. length of tow-cable deployed:  5503 m Depth:  1550 to 1780 m Altitude of fish above seabed:  50 m Av. Speed:  3.4 knts Fish completed line:  0615 hrs, 10 iv 15.  Position of ship  Lat  53   04.530  Long  56   27.652.  Position of fish  Lat  53   02.421.  Long  56   25.008 Fish on deck: 0839 hrs.  Lat 53   03.996    Long  56   25.987 Results: Nothing of archaeological interest.

Remarks: Conditions good; some fog and a little swell.

Finished in Search Area 3 and then moved across to Search Area 2 to back-fill a gap there.

The weather front that we have been watching carefully for several days is now moving in a little faster than expected; this means we will probably have to return to the Falklands about midday Sunday.

Mensun Bound (1800 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 09.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - On site Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Thursday 9 April 2015.  Day 100

Search Area 3.  Survey Line 15 Heading 217˚ Fish in water:  1637 hrs, 8 iv 15.  Lat 52   32.450    Long 55   46.140 Fish commenced line:  1835 hrs.  Ship  Lat  52   37.160   Long  56   51.910.  Fish Lat  52  35.069   Long  55   49.315 Max. length of tow-cable deployed:  5538 m Depth:  1510 to 1787 m Altitude of fish above seabed:  40 m Av. Speed:  3.5 knts Fish completed line:  0415 hrs, 9 iv 15.  Position of ship  Lat  52   04.731  Long  55   26.149.  Position of fish  Lat  52   02.662.  Long  55   23.614 Fish on deck: N/A. Results: Nothing of archaeological interest.

Search Area 3.  Survey Line -11 Heading 37˚ Fish in water:  0747 hrs.  Lat 52   02.732    Long 55   26.547 Fish commenced line:  0830 hrs.  Ship  Lat  52   00.815   Long  56   24.1360.  Fish Lat  52  01.7643   Long  55   25.299

Remarks:

Our 100th day was spent in moderate conditions scanning along the east side of Search Area 3.  Seabed flat and featureless, just as preferred. At one point, for a period of about 50 mins, communication was lost with the fish and the last 500 m of the line had to be aborted.  It had been thought that the fault was with the fish, but it turned out that someone had, unintentionally, unplugged the wiring on the deck.

We have been looking back on the highlights of the last three months.  Everybody agrees that the best moment was in January when the whales came alongside.  We attach another picture of that day.  You can see its blow-hole and, above, the mist from when it spouted seconds before.

Mensun Bound (1800 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 08.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - At sea Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Wednesday 8 April 2015.  Day 99

Watching the screens last night

Remarks: Endeavour arrived on site soon after 1900 hours yesterday.  The first objective was to interrogate an anomaly that had been recorded on 24 January, in 1392 m of water, at Lat. 52˚ 37.278,  Long. 56˚ 10.926.  During the next 15 hours five side-scan passes were made of the formation which contained several features that were thought might echo a vessel of Scharnhorst-type.  The five passes were made at 2115 hrs yesterday and at 0050 hrs, 0450 hrs, 0900 hrs and 1220 hrs today.  The first pass was largely illegible and the following four revealed nothing that confirmed a shipwreck.  The images will be further examined, and a second opinion will be sought, but, for the present, we conclude that Anomaly 1 is a naturally-occurring rock outcrop.

It should be recorded that this has been a particularly intensive period during which the team worked a great many hours without respite for a result that can only be described as disappointing.

Endeavour  is now resuming the search where it left of on 31 March.

Mensun Bound (1800 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 07.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - At sea Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Tuesday 7 April 2015.  Day 98

Remarks: Endeavour passed out through Stanley Narrows at 0950.   We are now heading for the formation that was mentioned in yesterday’s log.  Based on its size and general disposition the ship-owner, Sverker Hallstrom, felt that this was our most promising anomaly.  MB later conducted an analyses based on the constructor’s plans and concluded that there were indeed aspects to it that merited further scrutiny.  However, we must again stress caution as we are no more than reading shadows that might well be playing us false.

Mensun Bound (1800 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 06.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - Stanley Harbour

Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Monday 6 April 2015.  Day 9

Cape Pembroke lighthouse

Remarks: Ship preparing for sea.  Hope to be on our way by mid-morning tomorrow.

During a review of anomalies, one in particular - that was at first thought to be a rock outcrop -  revealed several trace-features that might possibly reflect certain structural attributes of a pre-WWI,  German-built, armoured cruiser.  It must, however, be stressed that these ‘features’ are extremely fugitive and probably amount to no more than coincidence.  Nonetheless, for sake of thoroughness, our first priority will be to conduct additional passes of this anomaly.

During the day a visit was made to Cape Pembroke lighthouse.  The significance of this structure to the von Spee saga is that it was the Admiral’s principal navigational marker for his intended raid on Stanley.

Mensun Bound (2200 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 05.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - Stanley Harbour Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Sunday 5 April 2015.  Day 96

Endeavour at anchor in Stanley Harbour

Remarks: All day at anchor in Stanley Harbour.  Nothing to report.  Current weather projections indicate that we should be able to return to site on Tuesday 7 April

Mensun Bound (2200 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 04.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - Stanley Harbour Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Sat 4 April 2015.  Day 95

Remarks: All day at anchor in Stanley Harbour.  Nothing to report.

Mensun Bound (2200 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 03.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - Stanley Harbour Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Friday 3 April 2015.  Day 94

Remote Operated Vehicle (yellow) and its Tether Management System (white) being lowered into the harbour

Remarks:

All day at anchor in port.  Weather fair. Survey team have been testing the new Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) in Stanley harbour.  The attachment shows the ROV, in yellow, docked to the underside of the Tether Management System, or TMS, in white, as it was being lowered into the water.

Mensun Bound (2200 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 02.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour  - Stanley Harbour Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Thursday 2 April 2015.  Day 93   Remarks: All day in Stanley Harbour.  Weather blustery. Team have been going back through the scans of the last three months’ and reviewing old anomalies.  Preparing for ROV tests in harbour tomorrow. Mensun Bound (2200 hrs LT

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Log of RSV Endeavour 01.04.2015

From RSV Endeavour - on site Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Wednesday 1 April 2015.  Day 92

Map of Falklands showing all the ships now sheltering from the storm 

Remarks: Approx. 0800 Endeavour left FIPASS for its usual anchorage opposite the Cathedral in area SH4.   High winds all day making use of the tender difficult.  The current weather outlook is not good and indicates that we may be here until 6 April (day 97).  However, weather patterns off the Falklands are always mutating and anything beyond two days we always regard with caution.

Yesterday we ran like ‘a pelted hen’ for the shelter of Stanley Harbour.  Somehow we thought we were the only ones.  Today, while talking to Rob Rowlands of Stanley Services, we learned otherwise.  It turns out that no less than 104 vessels are now huddling in various havens around the Falklands.  In addition to the usual places on East Falklands, the Sound, Saunders and Weddell are packed.  The attachment (courtesy of Rob) well illustrates the situation.

Mensun Bound (2200 hrs LT)

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Log of RSV Endeavour 31.03.2015

From RSV Endeavour - on site Battle of Falklands wrecks: archaeological search and survey Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Monday 31 March 2015.  Day 91

Remarks: At 0242 we had the fish secured on board and eight minutes later were racing for Stanley Harbour to beat the approaching storm front.  By that time we had picked up a fourth snowy cattle egret.

By mid-morning we could see land and soon after all the birds had gone.  Only one was actually seen leaving but he, at least, was heading for Cape Pembroke.

By 1215 Endeavour was alongside at FIPASS and an hour later had been cleared by customs.  The vessel is currently taking on fuel and water. Tomorrow, at about 0800, it will return to its usual anchorage opposite the Cathedral. 

Mensun Bound (2200 hrs LT)