We didn’t realise it but there are many shipwrecks in the Forth, not just from the Second World War, but from both before and after. Mr. McKelvie, an experienced diver, and Miss Donaldson, a diver and archaeology graduate, explained that shipwrecks came in many different shapes and sizes and this meant that there was lots of different types of sites for the divers to explore. The shipwrecks that are still intact let divers see a moment of the past.

The Firth of Forth is so rich in historical wrecks because it has been an important shipping lane for many centuries. All kinds of trade and export have been done through the Forth and out into the North Sea. But, even with all this traffic, for much of the history of the Forth, there were no lights or lighthouses to guide ships, which mean many vessels and many men have been lost. The divers think it is one of the best wreck diving sites in Scotland, possibly in the whole UK.

Both the First and the Second World Wars have contributed a lot of wrecks, and not just the wrecks of ships. Submarine torpedoes, mines and aircraft attack all added to the vast number of wrecks - including aircraft carriers, minesweepers, and even fighter and reconnaissance aircraft.