Britain's first ever submarine dive trail opens in the Solent
Britain's first ever underwater submarine dive trail opens today on a wreck of a Navy submarine.
The trail was launched by the English Heritage and Nautical Archaeology Society.
It is based around the protected wreck of a HMS/mA1 which is the first British designed submarine used by the Navy that sank in 1911 in only 39ft of water in the Solent, reports ITV.
Licenced divers will be given a guide to help them navigate the wreck.
The waterproof tour programme helps them recognise features such as the conning tower, torpedo loading hatch and stern towing and lifting cable, reports the BBC.
The submarine, which was built in July 1902 by Vickers Sons & Maxim Ltd actually sunk twice, first in 1904 and again in 1911 when it was unmanned and being used for underwater target practice.
It now lies upright on the seabed.
The English Heritage site are aiming to create up to 12 trails by 2018 for historic wreck sites from the 17th to 20th centuries.
This is the fourth underwater tourist trail for protected wrecks since 2009 in the UK.
The other three trails are running on sunken wodden warships including HMS Colossus which sank off the Isles of Scilly in 1787, The Coronation which sank off the coast of Plymouth in 1691 and Norman's Bay Wreck which sank during the battle of Beachy Head in 1690 in Sussex.
Terry Newman, Assistant Maritime Designation Adviser for English Heritage, said: "We are diving into history with the launch of our first submarine trail.
"Protected wreck sites are as much part of our national heritage as castles and country houses, although they are not as widely accessible unfortunately!
"By giving licensed divers access to these historically and archaeologically important wrecks, we are encouraging greater understanding and recognition of England's underwater heritage."
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