'WWI warship'find hailed

LONDON:

A team of UK divers has hailed the discovery of a wreck off Scotland believed to be a Royal Navy warship sunk during World War I but still "virtually intact".

The team found what it thinks is HMS Hawke -- which sank after being hit by a German torpedo in October 1914 -- in the North Sea earlier this week.

Paul Downs, who was among the divers and filmed footage of the long-lost wreck, described it as "a once in a lifetime" discovery given its "unbelievable" condition.

"She is virtually intact," he told AFP. "The state of preservation is unbelievable for a wreck that's 110 years old and came to a violent end."