What is recorded here

HMS Drake lies upside down and broken in fifteen metres of water off Rathlin Island, a black shadow marked only by a lonely red buoy. She sank in October 1917 after a German torpedo struck her, taking eighteen men with her into the cold depth. A century later, a distant relative still travels to Ballycastle to remember them, proving that love and grief can cross a hundred years of salt and silence.

The official Northern Ireland wreck record identifies HMS Drake as Cruiser. It was lost in 1917. Recorded depth: 15-8.6m. Recorded condition: Heavily broken up + upside down. Anomaly: 161.5 X 40.6 X 4m. Legal protection recorded by the source: HMAOO 1995.

HMS Drake was a British cruiser lost in 1917 during World War I. It sank in Irish waters, likely due to enemy action or mine strike, and lies in an upturned, heavily fragmented condition at a depth of 15–8.6 metres; no details of casualties or cargo are recorded, but its legal protection underscores its historical and archaeological significance.

A wreck point does not grant access or permission to dive, enter land, disturb the site or recover anything. Check current law and local conditions first.