Midhurst shipwreck hunter awarded OBE on New Year Honours List

David Mearns, a shipwreck hunter who lives in Midhurst, was named on the New Year Honours list for 2025, alongside a who’s who of candidates from West Sussex, including former minister for education Nick Gibb, and Dr Carol Anita White.

Born in New Jersey in 1958, Mr Mearns has had a long, storied career in ship-wreck location and discovery. In 1990, he helped investigate the deliberate sinking of the Lucona by a time bomb. In 2001, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Denmark Strait, he helped locate and document the wrecks of the HMS Hood and its Axis counterpart The Bismark as part of a Channel 4 documentary, and, holds the Guinness World Record for the deepest shipwreck ever found – a German blockade runner called Rio Grande, found at a depth of 5,762 metres.

In fact, the OBE isn’t the only award Mr Mearns won this year. In a career highlight, he was recognised for his pivotal role in the discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton's last ship – Discovery – and awarded the Bernier Medal, which celebrates significant individual contributions to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

The ship was discovered a few kilometres off the north coast of Labrador, some ways out from where it reportedly sunk, and Mr Mearns helped locate, scan and confirm the identity of the near-legendary ship.