Archaeologists have identified a 250-year-old shipwreck uncovered on a remote Scottish beach. A mix of science and historical sleuthing found that it’s an 18th-century naval warship and whaling vessel called the Earl of Chatham. The wreck was revealed in February 2024 after a storm swept away sand on Sanday which is part of Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Local farmers and researchers worked together to recover the ship’s 12 tons of oak timbers. Experts traced the ship’s history using tree-ring dating and historical records. It was originally named HMS Hind and it served in the American War of Independence before becoming a whaling ship. It was wrecked off Sanday in 1788.