WreckfinderBritish battleship · Sunk 1 January 1915
HMS Formidable wreck
The HMS Formidable is a British battleship wreck lying more than 20 nautical miles off Brixham in South Devon. The top of the wreck is about 44 m down on a 59 m seabed. She sank on 1 January 1915. The exact GPS mark is in the Wreckfinder app.
- Top of wreck44 m
- Seabed59 m
- Nearest harbourBrixham
- ConditionIntact
Get the exact mark for the HMS Formidable
The HMS Formidable is one of 555 wrecks in South Devon waters in the Wreckfinder app. Premium shows the exact GPS position to put in your chartplotter, plus your distance to it at sea.
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Are you fishing or diving the HMS Formidable?
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Fishing the HMS Formidable
What you might catch
- PollackAll year, best late summer to winter
- Conger eelAll year, best on summer nights and neap tides
- PoutingAll year
- LingAll year, bigger fish in deeper water
- CodMostly autumn and winter
- Coalfish (saithe)Winter and spring
Typical for wrecks like this (draft, until we have catch reports). Caught something here? Tell us.
Tide and method
Tide: Deep wreck. Neap tides and the slack water around high or low tide give you the best chance of holding bottom over it.
Method: A standing wreck. Anchor uptide and fish baits back into the wreck and scour for conger and ling, or drift over the top with shads for pollack.
Report a catch
Fished the HMS Formidable? Tell Dusty what you caught, when, and what worked. With your OK we'll add it to this page so other anglers know what's biting.
Diving the HMS Formidable
The dive
The top of the wreck is about 44 m down on a 59 m seabed. That is technical diving depth: mixed gas, decompression and a dedicated dive boat.
Condition: Intact, inverted (from the last survey).
Before you dive
- This is a military wreck. Military wrecks may be protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 and some are war graves. Look, don't touch, and check before you dive.
- Anything you recover from a wreck must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck.
- Plan around slack water and check the weather. Skippers who know the wreck make all the difference.
History of the HMS Formidable
A pre-dreadnought battleship built at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1898. In the early hours of 1 January 1915 she was torpedoed twice by U-24. She stayed afloat for about 90 minutes before capsizing. Only 201 of her crew of about 800 survived.
| Type | British battleship |
|---|---|
| Sunk | 1 January 1915 |
| Tonnage | 15,000 tons displacement |
| Length | 131.1 m |
| Beam | 22.9 m |
| Top of wreck | 44 m |
| Seabed | 59 m |
| Area | South Devon (nearest harbour Brixham) |
Where is the HMS Formidable wreck?
The HMS Formidable lies more than 20 nautical miles off Brixham, in South Devon. We don't publish exact positions on the website. The GPS mark is in the Wreckfinder app.
Other wrecks in South Devon
HMS Formidable wreck: questions
How deep is the HMS Formidable wreck?
The top of the wreck is about 44 m down on a 59 m seabed.
Where is the HMS Formidable wreck?
It lies more than 20 nautical miles off Brixham in South Devon. The exact GPS position is in the Wreckfinder app.
Can you fish the HMS Formidable?
Yes. Wrecks like this typically hold pollack, conger eel, pouting, ling. A standing wreck. Anchor uptide and fish baits back into the wreck and scour for conger and ling, or drift over the top with shads for pollack.
Can you dive the HMS Formidable?
The top of the wreck is about 44 m down on a 59 m seabed. That is technical diving depth: mixed gas, decompression and a dedicated dive boat.
How do I get the GPS coordinates for the HMS Formidable?
Download Wreckfinder, search for HMS Formidable, and Premium shows the exact position to enter in your chartplotter.
Got a question about the HMS Formidable?
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