During August we managed to break the 500 barrier for the number of shipwrecks included in the website, although this represents a drop in the ocean compared to the total number of recorded shipwrecks around Scotlands coastline. The first 500 have focused on wrecks with known locations, that have in most cases been visited by divers, and are supported by reference materials such as B+W photographs, ships drawings, vessel build data, and some contemporary data around the story of their loss and condition today. Feedback to date has been good, and we hope the site provides a helpful resource for planning wreck diving and expeditions around Scotland. If you have any suggestions, do let us know.
175 years since launch – 164 years since loss!
Ian Crawford has been hard at work completing a first pass of wrecks for the east and north coasts of Scotland including the Orkney Islands and is now moving on to look at the Shetland Islands and Fair Isle. These areas are not as familiar to us as areas flanking the central belt, both west and east, and while we have both visited Orkney and Shetland, there’s no doubt local knowledge is key in getting things right.
With this in mind we would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following individuals or websites who have freely shared their information on position, condition both of and on the wrecks today and u/w pictures from some of their recent visits. Thanks must go to Jim Burke, Kevin Heath, Naomi Watson and Rod Macdonald as well as the websites – Buchan Divers and Lost in Waters Deep.
The internet holds a mountain of shipwreck related information now easily accessible online. We have been using the Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Heritage & Education Centre website for sometime. This site holds most of their archive of Lloyd’s Registers, Lloyd’s survey reports and ship drawings, Lloyd’s annual casualty reports and other useful items, that can be found here – https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/ . We approached the Heritage and Education Centre earlier this year and received their permission to reproduce information from their archive on this website. This allows us to include a range of additional information for wrecks, which includes builders drawings, build data from Lloyd’s Register and casualty reports from 1920’s onwards, this all helps to provide a more complete story of each wreck.
SS Canadia Lloyd’s Register ship plans archive
Moving further west we have also been adding wrecks to the NW Highlands and Islands area, this area requires further work and we will continue to add wrecks over the following months.
The PS Mountaineer….living up to her name
If anyone reading this post would like to contribute information on their local shipwrecks, whether written or pictorial, we would be delighted to receive. Note this website is free to use so any contribution would be on this basis, although we will be happy to include an acknowledgement. You do not need to prepare a full page, it maybe an old photo or newspaper cutting which could be the start of a new search. If you would like to make contact, please do so through this email link.
So here’s to the next 500……better get typing!
Well done to all. A very worthwhile task.
Scotland needs to support your efforts.
Apply for crowd funding?
Hi George, at present we are self funding as the costs are low at present. I have not looked at crowd funding but I could image the management of any money would need to be open book for all those donate etc. I doubt either of us will want to send time on accountancy stuff when we could be working away on wrecks. Thanks for the idea, will keep on back burner.
What happened to the Hereford Express a Dutch cattle ship that aground off Sanda Island in 1970, with many cattle drowning and the rest destroyed. I remember cattle still being washed ashore months later.
Should it not be on the list or was it refloated?
Hi, the Hereford Express is included in the Kintyre section of our book Argyll Shipwrecks, unfortunately we have not managed to upload the story or pictures onto the website so far. Will make a note and add to the Argyll section of the website in the next month or so. The HExp became a total wreck and was later salvaged insitu. When researching Argyll Shipwrecks we searched along the south side of Boiler Reef and found a few sections of a modern welded construction vessel, most probably the HExp. Thanks for you interest.
Peter thanks for that. I have tried to contact you before but failed miserably. I have a photograph album with many of the wrecks lost on the West coast in the 40s. For example:- SS Rothesay Castle, SS Zitella, SS Rockpool, Submarine Job 9 (Kames Bay, raised), SS Byron Darnton, SS Aska,MV Alynbank, SS Resparko (strange one), SS Floristan, and of course the SS Politician. I have only given you a sample and am only about 10% off the way through the album. Perhaps you would be interested in seeing it? I need thoughts on what to do with it (at some point in the future).
My grandfather was lost on the Steam Trawler Venetia on 1/2nd January 1933. The ship ran aground in snow storm off Stonehaven. All hands were lost. Not mentioned on the east coat list.
Haven’t got round to that one yet Rod… I have some details and a couple of photos of wreck ashore. We have been concentrating on wrecks with remains visible either above or below water now so far. One for the future. Thanks for your interest. Ian Crawford