Dhaka, July 23 -- A routine run by a schoolboy led to a remarkable discovery on a remote Scottish beach, where the exposed wooden ribs of a buried ship sparked an investigation by archaeologists, scientists, and local historians. Their collaborative efforts have now identified the wreck as likely being the Earl of Chatham - a vessel with a rich history spanning war and whaling.

Researchers revealed on Wednesday that the ship was once a British Royal Navy frigate named HMS Hind, built in 1749, which served in the American War of Independence before being repurposed as a whaling ship in the Arctic. It eventually met its fate in a storm off the coast of Sanday, one of the Orkney Islands.

Ben Saunders, senior marine archaeologist at Wessex ...