Photogrammetry in Depth: Revealing HMS HAMPSHIRE

HMS Hampshire was a Devonshire Class armoured cruiser that saw action at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Immediately after the battle, the ship was tasked with transporting Field Marshall Lord Kitchener to Russia on a diplomatic mission. The ship hit mines laid by U-75 approximately 1.5 miles North of Orkney at Birsay Head and sank with a loss of 737 men, including Kitchener and his staff. To commemorate the centenary of the ship's loss, the MoD granted a survey licence to an international team of technical diving and sub-sea imaging specialists in May/June 2016.

This paper will present the results of the diver survey carried out at a depth of 65 metres and describe the challenges of creating accurate 3D images of the wreck using photogrammetry in a deep, dark and hostile environment. The resulting 3D models are presented using immersive virtual reality technology (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift) at real World scale, emulating the diver's experience on the seabed.