The SHIPS Project

28/05/2026

We were back at the Waterfront in Plymouth again yesterday, teaming up with Zulu Dive Club BSAC to remove a load of angling gear from the seabed, plus a bonus Beryl bike.

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

What a gorgeous day! ☀️🌊☀️
We are down at Cattewater Harbour Plymouth Landing stage with our pop-up museum greeting the cruise liner passengers disembarking into the Barbican. With Plymouth Cruise Ambassadors - Volunteers , Plymouth City Town Crier , Royal Marine Drummers Cattewater Harbour Commissioners

26/05/2026

The SHIPS Project are in Sutton Harbour today with Cattewater Harbour Plymouth to welcome passengers from the cruise ship Ambition. We have a stand with historical objects found in Plymouth Sound, some of our books, and of course, lots of stories about Plymouth and the sea. You can find us at Commercial Wharf outside the Boathouse, so please come down and say hello.

17/05/2026

We are at to talk about our conservation work with The SHIPS Project in Plymouth Sound National Marine Park
GeoHab (Marine Geological and Biological Habitat Mapping) is an international association of marine scientists studying biophysical (i.e., geologic and oceanographic) indicators of benthic habitats and ecosystems as proxies for biological communities and species diversity.
We are presenting about the ongoing research into about cleaning up our local marine habitats, but also discuss with other scientists what we have learned about taking a holistic approach to restoration work.

With support from Sonardyne International Ltd. Wavefront, O'Three Ltd

14/05/2026

Researchers in the UK, including phytoplankton experts from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), have shown how the distributions of two phytoplankton groups, known to produce natural toxins that can hal

04/05/2026

Finally with the weather improving we have been able to get out diving to look at a new patch of seagrass in Jennycliff Bay. We thought we would show what seagrass looks like and the wee animals that reside there. It is looking a bit sparse at the moment because its early in the year, it will be a bit more lush as the summer goes on.

27/04/2026

It's often said that the first artificial diving reef in Europe was HMS Scylla, sunk in Whitsand Bay near Plymouth in 2004. But Scylla was in fact the third ship sunk as an artificial reef; the first was the Glen Strathallan, sunk on this day in Plymouth Sound in 1970.

The Glen Strathallan was a gentleman's steam yacht bought as a 21st birthday present for Robert Colby Cubbin. Cubbin never married and was somewhat of an eccentric recluse; he died unexpectedly in 1951 after sailing on the Glen only 12 times. Cubbin's mother kept the ship exactly as it was when her son died, with his pyjamas neatly folded on the pillow in his cabin, and the door locked. Cubbin’s mother died in May 1955, and in her will she bequeathed the Glen Strathallan to a naval training school, and when she was no longer serviceable, the ship must be taken out to sea and sunk. At the end of her working life, they intended to sink the vessel in the English Channel, but an appeal from Alan Bax at the School for Nautical Archaeology Plymouth (SNAP) changed the plan, and instead the Glen was scuttled in Plymouth Sound on 27th April 1970.

The second ship to be sunk as an artificial reef and for scientific research was the little Trinity House tender Tavy. We sank Tavy in December 1995 next to the Breakwater Fort in Plymouth Sound, and she was used for many experiments over the next 10 years before she broke up.

The Glen Strathallan was the first ship in Britain to be sunk especially for divers as an artificial reef, pre-dating the sinking of HMS Scylla in Whitsand Bay by 34 years.

More about Glen Strathallan
https://shipsproject.org/Wrecks/Wk_GlenStrathallan.html

More about Tavy
https://shipsproject.org/Wrecks/Wk_Tavy.html

More about Scylla
https://shipsproject.org/Wrecks/Wk_Scylla.html

24/04/2026

Just back from the South West Marine Ecosystems Conference 2026 as usual we learned lots and had a fabulous time, thank you to the organisers for a great and informative event at Plymouth Marine Laboratory & University of Plymouth

We were happy to contribute to the better understanding of seagrass in Plymouth, as part of one of the conference presentations with Martin Attrill

Ecosystems Diving Scuba