Wreck of HMS Campania

 First World War 1914-1918, shipwreck, aircraft carrier

On the morning of 5 November 1918, Campania was lying at anchor off Burntisland in the Firth of Forth. A sudden Force 10 squall caused the ship to drag anchor. She collided first with the bow of the nearby battleship Royal Oak, and then scraped along the side of the battlecruiser Glorious. Campania '​s hull was breached by the initial collision with Royal Oak, flooding her engine room and shutting off all main electrical power. The ship then started to settle by the stern, and sank some five hours after breaking free. The ship's crew were all rescued by neighbouring vessels. A Naval Board of Inquiry into the incident held Campania '​s watch officer largely responsible for her loss, citing specifically the failure to drop a second anchor once the ship started to drift.

The wreck of HMS Campania was designated in 2001 under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 as a site of historic importance, making it an offence to dive it without a licence.[9] The remains of the four Campania aircraft and seven 1½ Strutters that she had on board when she sank are still entombed in her wreck.