The steel steamship Atland was built by William Doxford and Sons of Sunderland (Yard No 412) and launched on 28th April 1910. She measured 388.9′ x 52.4′ x 26.1′ and her tonnage was 5203 gross tons, 2639 net tons. Her oil fired triple expansion steam engine delivered 320 nominal horse power. The Atland was a turret decked steam cargo vessel. The design, which improved the stability of cargo ships in rough seas, reduced the net tonnage of the ship which, in turn, reduced port fees which at the time were based on net tonnage. When these rules were changed the turret decked design concept disappeared.
Steamship Atland in Cape Town
Her final voyage for her owners Angfaktieb Trfing of Gothenburg, Sweden began in Sierra Leone when she loaded a cargo of iron ore and, under the command of Captain Wilhelm Lothman, joined a westerly bound convoy heading from Freetown to Trinidad. She arrived in Port of Spain on 15th January 1943. She then joined another convoy and steamed north to New York to await the departure of third convoy, SC122, which was heading west across the North Atlantic and into the hunting grounds of the German U-boat packs. This huge convoy was made up of 65 merchant ships and 18 escort ships and departed New York on 6th March 1943. The convoy was to be involved in one of the major convoy battles of the war when it was attacked in mid Atlantic by more than 30 U-boats from three wolfpacks. Eight ships were lost but the Atland survived and reached Loch Ewe on 23rd March. She then joined a smaller coastal convoy, WN407, of 18 ships heading for Methil in Fife. Unfortunately, despite surviving this mammoth voyage and the attentions of the German U-boats the Atland was lost in collision with the SS Carso, another ship in the convoy, off Peterhead. The Carso survived the collision and was taken in tow by the Empire Tana but the Atland eventually sank.
Steamship Atland under way
The wreck of the Atland lies in position 57° 28.777’N, 001° 38.243’W. The wreck lies in 64 metres oriented 060/240 degrees with bow facing south west and rises 10 metres from the seabed. The large wreck has substantially disintegrated for most of the length of the ship although a large dramatic piece of wreckage at the bow rises well above the seabed. Midships the superstructure has collapsed but the two massive boilers are in tact and clearly visible.
