Sanday Wreck nominated for Rescue project of the year

(Image courtesy of Rod Thorne, Sanday)

The Sanday Shipwreck has been nominated for the Rescue Project of the Year at the Current Archaeology Awards. This nomination follows on from the Wreck being named one of the top archaeological finds in 2024 by ‘Dig It!’, a hub for Scottish archaeology coordinated by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.  

The Swandro-Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust was a previous winner of the award in 2024. 

The award will be open to the public to vote for their favourite at archaeology.co.uk/vote-now 

Ben Saunders from Wessex Archaeology, Sanday Shipwreck project Lead says 

“I'm delighted that the project has been shortlisted for a Current Archaeology Live award, it is a testament to the hard work and great results brought together by the community in Sanday, at Wessex Archaeology and Dendrochronicle: a winning mix of archaeological science, specialist knowledge and dedicated research and a dollop of good luck." 

Clive Struver, Chair of the Sanday Development Trust, says: 

We are really delighted by this nomination. Sanday was once known as 'the cradle of shipwrecks in Scotland', and our community has always been committed to caring for our maritime heritage. The people of Sanday are determined to ensure that this wreck is preserved in the best possible way for generations to come 

The shipwreck timbers were first unveiled on Sands o’ Erraby during February of 2024 by winter storms. The Sanday community alerted the authorities, and a rescue effort was quickly enacted to recover the timbers from the beach. Marine archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology were appointed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to undertake rapid assessments and recording of the wreck. Then, with the integral efforts of the Sanday community, the timbers were recovered and moved to Sanday Heritage Centre.

Orkney Islands Council played a pivotal role in securing additional funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) to stabilise these timbers - acting swiftly on behalf of the Sanday community shortly after the wreck’s discovery. 

Our Museums team successfully obtained £79,658 from NHMF to construct a custom freshwater tank. 

£20,000 was then awarded by HES during December of 2024 to support further research by Wessex Archaeology and Dendrochronicle alongside the Sanday community, which has been successful in identifying the wreck. 

In July 2025 it was announced that after painstaking research, the wreck was that of the Earl of Chatham, a whaling vessel, previously a Royal Navy vessel called HMS Hind originally completed in 1749. 

Here’s a short video detailing the wreck’s history from HES:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaVeWNtOqgQ 

More information about the vessel’s history and the research can be found on one of our previous posts. 

Vote here: archaeology.co.uk/vote-now