SL/E/UPPU/M/02

This shipwreck is positioned at a maximum depth of 43m, about 3km off the coast of Uppuveli, an area which is about 3km south from Trincomalee towards Pulmoodai. Commissioned on 14^th August 1779 and constructed by James Martin Hillhouse Company, HMS Diomede was specially designed to be employed for coastal service during the American War of Independence. This fully rigged wooden sail ship was 42.7m (140ft) in length and 35.2m (115ft 6in) in breadth. The ship was first launched on 18^th October 1781 and reported to have conducted two missions namely, the involvement in the conquest of South Carolina (USA) in 1782 and the conquest of the Indian Ocean in 1794.

In 1795, the British Navy arrived at the port Trincomalee in HMS Diomede and 3 more vessels namely, Suffolk, Centurion and Heroine, and the Dutch governor who then administered Trincomalee agreed to surrender and submit the occupied territories to the British. It is reported that during this voyage, HMS Diomede was struck at an unidentified reef near Trincomalee. Although the crew threw away its artillery into the sea to rescue the vessel, HMS Diomede sunk making all the attempts in vain.

During a diving operation by Arthur C. Clarke and his team, including Mike Wilson, in the 1960s, the team attempted to locate this vessel in the vicinity of the reef called ‘Diomede rock’ but was successful. However, according to Arthur C. Clarke, the ship weighed 887t and was equipped with 44 artillery in both upper and lower decks. The research conducted by the Maritime Archaeological Unit of Galle since 2011 has revealed important information related to this ship including, 18 artilleries, a  large number of small bullets and broken bottles, as well as wood and metal parts.

Builder: James Martin Hillhouse    Launched: 18 October 1781  Completed: 14 March 1782

Class and type: 44-gun Roebuck  two-decker fifth rate

Length: 140 ft (42.7 m) (overall) 115 ft 6 in (35.2 m) (keel)   Beam: 38 ft 2 ¹⁄₂ in (11.6 m) Depth of hold: 16 ft 4 in (4.98 m)

Sail plan: Full rigged ship

Armament: Upper deck: 22 9-pounder guns, Lower deck: 20 18-pounder guns, Fc: 2 6-pounder guns

Fate: Struck a rock on 2 August 1795 and sank almost immediately