Buccaneer 45 m

HMS Buccaneer, W 49, a Brigand-class tug of the Royal Navy. Accidentally sunk by HMS Saintes (D84) in 1947 during a gunnery exercise while towing the actual target. When HMS Saintes was first commissioned in 1946 she joined the 5th destroyer flotilla and was used to trial the new 4.5″ Mk 6 twin turret which became the standard destroyer main armament until well into the 1970’s. In 1947, during live-fire trials of the new armament.

 During gunnery practice, it’s accepted custom to aim for the target rather than the tugboat that’s towing it. The Buccaneer fell victim to a gunner who got things back-to-front, but the Admiralty’s loss is the diver’s gain, says John Liddiard from his diving tour. Illustration by Max Ellis See DIVENET below.