Incredible underwater images of warship on which legendary First World War general went down
General who was iconic face of YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU posters died when ship sank 100 years ago this month
BREATHTAKING photos have emerged of the sunken WW1 ship where Lord Kitchener perished with 736 men.
The General, best known as the iconic face of the YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU recruitment posters, died in June 1916 when HMS Hampshire hit a German mine off the coast of Orkney and sunk.
Now, nearly 100 years later to the day, a team of divers have been given permission to explore the eerie remains of the vessel -- which is officially a war grave.
Specialists led by Rod MacDonald were granted access to the shipwreck by the Ministry of Defence to "record her at 100".
The diving crew spent more than 200 hours exploring the wreck, filming, photographing and completing a 3D scan to learn more about the naval disaster.
The ship sank in just 15 minutes when it struck the mine on 5 June 1916.
Men that tried to board lifeboats were dashed against the sides of the ship by huge waves off the coast of the Scottish island.
Only 12 crew survived the disaster, which proved a huge blow to public morale during the war.
Lord Kitchener, then Secretary of State for War and Field Marshall, perished along with 736 men as he made his way on a secret mission to meet Britain's Russian allies.
The sinking came just a month before the Battle of the Somme -- the bloodiest period of the conflict where nearly 1.5 million died on the fields of northern France.
The diving team that explored the wreck of the 473ft armoured cruiser made significant discoveries about how it sank.
Because of her length, her bow would have hit the bottom of the seabed 68m below the waterline while her stern was still above the waves.
Mr Macdonald said: “The point of this is it’s the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Hampshire and she’s decaying quickly.”
He continued: “The story of HMS Hampshire is of historical importance and her loss forms an important element of the WWI naval story.
“In recognition of this, the prestigious Explorers Club awarded the expedition Explorers Club flag number 192.
“All major explorations since the early 1900s have carried with them an Explorers Club flag, including expeditions to the poles, Everest and the Moon.
“Number 192 was carried on 22 expeditions to polar regions, the Himalayas and has crossed the Atlantic twice by hot air balloon.”
The wreck of the Hampshire was placed under official government protection in 2002.
It is now a “controlled site” under the Protection of Military Remains Act -- meaning it can only be visited by divers licensed by the MoD.
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