PLYMOUTH divers are investigating the mystery of a wreck site off the Mewstone dating back hundreds of years.
The Mewstone Cannon site, thought to date back to the 18th century, was discovered just off the coast of Wembury in 1968.
Now it has been adopted by Plymouth Diving Centre, based at Queen Anne's Battery, through the Nautical Archaeology Society's Adopt-A-Wreck scheme.
The wreck site covers a large area between five and 18 metres deep, with cannons nearly two metres long scattered across the sea bed alongside anchors and fragments of olive oil jars which originally stood over a metre tall.
The site was discovered by visiting divers and was surveyed and finds noted, but no further work was done until last year, when non-profit marine research organisation ProMare took up the investigation.
As part of its SHIPS – Shipwrecks and History In Plymouth Sound – programme, it carried out a geophysical survey with Plymouth University to map accurate locations for the cannons before handing its findings over to Plymouth Diving Centre.
Diving centre manager Lisa McLernon said: "This project will test our divers' investigative skills, as the cannons are in the same area as a couple of other wrecks.
"There are various theories about how the site came about.
"It could be a shipwreck destroyed in a storm in the 1700s, with the wood eaten away by marine organisms over time.
"It could be that the cannons were thrown overboard in bad weather in an attempt to save the ship.
"It's exciting that we'll be finding out what really happened all those years ago."
The team will also be creating a diver trail with an easy-to-follow map.
The Mewstone Cannon site, thought to date back to the 18th century, was discovered just off the coast of Wembury in 1968.
Now it has been adopted by Plymouth Diving Centre, based at Queen Anne's Battery, through the Nautical Archaeology Society's Adopt-A-Wreck scheme.
The wreck site covers a large area between five and 18 metres deep, with cannons nearly two metres long scattered across the sea bed alongside anchors and fragments of olive oil jars which originally stood over a metre tall.
The site was discovered by visiting divers and was surveyed and finds noted, but no further work was done until last year, when non-profit marine research organisation ProMare took up the investigation.
As part of its SHIPS – Shipwrecks and History In Plymouth Sound – programme, it carried out a geophysical survey with Plymouth University to map accurate locations for the cannons before handing its findings over to Plymouth Diving Centre.
Diving centre manager Lisa McLernon said: "This project will test our divers' investigative skills, as the cannons are in the same area as a couple of other wrecks.
"There are various theories about how the site came about.
"It could be a shipwreck destroyed in a storm in the 1700s, with the wood eaten away by marine organisms over time.
"It could be that the cannons were thrown overboard in bad weather in an attempt to save the ship.
"It's exciting that we'll be finding out what really happened all those years ago."
The team will also be creating a diver trail with an easy-to-follow map.
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