The wreck of the Dundee ship Terra Nova has been filmed for the first time ever
- Andrew Batchelor
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
A ship built in Dundee more than 140 years ago has been filmed in remarkable detail on the sea floor off Greenland.
The Terra Nova, which once carried Captain Robert Falcon Scott on his fateful expedition to the South Pole, has been revealed with its wheel, winch and mast still visible.
The Terra Nova holds a special place in polar history, not only because of Scott’s tragic 1910–12 expedition, but also because of its connection to Dundee’s shipbuilding heritage.
The city was already known worldwide for building Discovery, Scott’s earlier vessel that launched from Dundee in 1901 for the British National Antarctic Expedition.
Together, Discovery and Terra Nova symbolised Dundee’s vital role in the age of Antarctic exploration.
The newly released footage shows the Terra Nova resting 170 metres below the waves, now home to marine life but still recognisable as one of the great wooden ships of its era.
The vessel, built to withstand ice with a hull a metre thick, served for more than six decades before sinking in 1943 while carrying supplies during the Second World War.
For many, the ship is forever linked to the story of Scott and his team’s race to the South Pole.
After trekking hundreds of miles across Antarctica, they reached the pole in January 1912 only to find that Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had beaten them there.
The gruelling return journey proved fatal for Scott and four companions, whose deaths were later reported to the world by the Terra Nova.
Researchers from REV Ocean, who carried out the latest survey, described the discovery as awe-inspiring.
Leighton Rolley, Science Systems Manager, said: “To see the ship’s wheel intact was incredible. You think of Scott and his crew steering through the ice, and it brings history to life in front of you.”
The Terra Nova was first located in 2012, but this is the first time such clear images have been captured.
For Dundee, where both the Terra Nova and Discovery were built, the footage is a reminder of the city’s lasting link to one of the greatest – and most tragic – chapters in exploration.
From the shipyards of Dundee to the icy reaches of Antarctica, the legacy of Terra Nova continues to echo more than a century later.
The wreck now lies silent on the seabed, but its story, and the city that built it, remain firmly anchored in history.
Video Source: BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwyvyqkx9yo.amp
