wreck rap

Text and photos by Lawson Wood One of the best off the west coast of Scotland, the SS Seniority, has a tale to tell from her days as an Empire ship built during WWII in Great Britain.

During World War II, a number of mer- chant ships were drafted into the mili- tary service by the British government, specifically, the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). They were allocated to serve various shipping companies that were involved in the war effort. This range of ships was prefixed by the name 'Empire'. One such ship was the Empire Boswell, a 2,876 GRT cargo ship built in 1942. With a length of 96.11m, the Empire Boswell was fitted with a triple expan- sion steam engine. It was designed as a Scandinavian-type cargo ship of the three-island class, which meant that the cargo handling was grouped around World War II Wreck the three 'islands' of the ship—the stern, bow and amidships. [There is some dis- crepancy over her yard works number as some sources have it listed as #738 and Wikipedia has it as #1135]. The ship was 96.11m (315ft, 4in) long. SS Seniority She had a beam of 14.15m (46ft, 5in) — Off Scotland's West Coast and a depth of 7.01m (23ft). The vessel had a triple expansion steam engine with cylinders of 51cm (20in); 86cm (34in) and 140cm (55in) bore by 99cm (39in) stroke. tion number is 168945. 1945 and then the British India Steam Ltd and changed her name to the SS her demise under her new name the SS This engine was built by the Central Empire Boswell had a successful Navigation Company until 1947, when Aviswell. Here she was operated by the Seniority. Marine Engine Works, also from West career under the MoWT where she was she was sold into the Merchant services Purvis Shipping Company Ltd until 1949 During WWII, Seniority was placed in a Hartlepool. The ship's official UK registra- operated by the Currie Line Ltd until to the Aviation and Shipping Company when she was sold to FT Everard until number of successful convoys, although

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she was noted as a ‘strag- Vich Chuan Rock off the south- “The crew of the London gler’ on her way to Canada in east coast of Barra and sank on steamer Seniority, which was Convoy 160 in 1943. She came 8 November 1950. wrecked off the coast of Barra, back to the United Kingdom The Glasgow Herald on Outer Hebrides late on Tuesday in convoy SC129 from Halifax, Thursday 9 November 1950 night during a gale, have been Nova Scotia and only took her recorded the event: landed at Castlebay, Barra, 19 days to reach Liverpool. In convoy UGS18, she had quite a trip leaving Hampton Roads in the United States and trav- elled directly to Port Said in in October 1943 at the height of the war and then joined the convoy from Gibraltar to Algeria. Whilst travelling to Ellesmere Port in ballast, the steamship Seniority ran aground on 7 November 1950 at Leinish Point in the Outer Hebrides, and although she was refloated, she foundered once more off Bo Historical photo of the SS Seniority

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THIS PAGE: Scenes from the wreck of the steamship Seniority

2895-ton London cargo steamer to his ship on Thursday when it was Seniority, which went ashore off expected that tugs would try to Barra on Tuesday night, disap- refloat her." peared in 10 fathoms of water. The Finally, Seniority's fate was Master of the Seniority, Captain I. recorded in the Glasgow Herald on Anderson, North Shields, who, with November 9: his crew of 30 were taken off by "The London cargo steamer the Barra lifeboat and given shelter Seniority, which was wrecked on at Castlebay, intended to return rocks off Barra, Outer Hebrides, by Castlebay lifeboat. A message recovered by Lloyds late yesterday stated that the vessel was aground on the rocks. Her pumps had bro- ken down and she was settling well on her stern. Her afterdeck was fully awash. The situation, it was stated, was serious. It was reported later from Duntulm lifeboat sta- tion, Skye, that the crew of 30 had been taken off by the lifeboat. The steamer was wrecked on the rocky east coast of the island, three miles northeast of Castlebay at a spot where a Greek and Canadian ship ran ashore within 24 hours of each other during the Second World War.” The Oban Times on the same day had the following information: “Stranded Ship Sinks off Barra: During gales early on Thursday, the

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Scene from the wreck wreck rap of the steamship BREATHTAKING Seniority EXPERIENCES

on Tuesday night, sank in about 10 fathoms early yesterday dur- ing a gale. The vessel’s captain and her crew of 30 were rescued by Castlebay, Barra, lifeboat on Wednesday." Clearly here, the crew were unable to get back to the ship; she was gone—for now. Diving the wreck It was whilst exploring the Outer and Inner Hebrides on the Elizabeth G in September 2014 that

Rob Barlow, the owner and skipper with your buddy, swim down the of the liveaboard suggested that shotline and explore the we may "quite like" the dive on the until it was time to come up—per- steamship Seniority. Knowing how fect! avid a photographer I am and my On entering the water for the interest in shipwrecks, this seemed first dive on the wreck, we were like a perfect opportunity to dive immediately struck by the great a relatively undived wreck in calm, visibility encountered here, and sheltered waters. even on the surface, we could WIKIPEDIA COMMONS / CC BY-SA 3.0 Overnighting in a bay off see the ship quite clearly on the the south coast of Barra, near seabed. To our right (east) was Castlebay, we discussed the forth- the bows, which were lying over coming dive, but there was very to the starboard side and deeply little information available on the embedded in the sand and shell wreck, other than that she was seabed. Just back from the bows in 18- 21m (60-70ft) of water, with were the start of the winching  normally good visibility, and that gears, anchor chain locker and the ship wreckage was well strewn forward mast. The forward hold NO LIMIt out over the seabed. was exposed and easily acces- CONTAINS ORDNANCE SURVEY DATA © CROWN COPYRIGHT AND DATABASE RIGHT DATABASE AND COPYRIGHT © CROWN DATA SURVEY ORDNANCE CONTAINS There's not too much planning sible. [email protected] hollis.com Location of Barra and Seniority wreck, involved in this dive—just jump in Directly under us were a series Outer Hebrides, Western Isles, Scotland

11 X-RAY MAG : 68 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO CAN’T RESIST THE CALL OF THE THIS PAGE: Marine life thrives on and UNKNOWN? wreck around the wreck rap of the steamship WIN AN Seniority includ- ing dead man's INSPIRATION VISION fingers (right), WORTH £6574 painted topshells on fronds of kelp ...neither can we! (below), ling, cod and wrasse WORLD-CLASS SPEAKERS

8 - 9 OCTOBER 2016 l THE ICC, BIRMINGHAM

8 - 9 OCT 2016

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JOIN US AT EUROPE’S PREMIER TECH CONFERENCE! are large sections of upturned hull that allow you access into a calm interior, with the metal parts simply covered in sea squirts. www.eurotektickets.com The rear parts of the hull are completely laid WORLD-CLASS ALL THE LEADING open, and the propeller SPEAKER LINE UP BRANDS ON SHOW has been removed—or certainly not found on the two dives we did on the ship. The large triple- expansion boiler was very evident sitting amidst the wreckage, with the quite of flat plates, which looked like they large ‘donkey’ boiler sitting next to it. may have interesting nooks and cran- GLITTERING GALA MEET LEADING nies, and to our left (west) and ahead Marine8 - 9 lifeOCTOBER 2016 AWARDS DINNER TECH EXPLORERS “...the best dive show I have (north) the remainder of the ship’s With such clear water, there was good THE ICC, BIRMINGHAM, UK ever been to...” upturned hull could be seen. kelp growth on much of the superstruc- 8 - 9 OCTOBER 2016 l THE ICC, BIRMINGHAM This is a large shipwreck, and unsur- ture, and the entire area was a haven prisingly, has suffered over the years. for fish life. Predominant fish were sev- Many of her ribs are exposed, but there eral ling, cuckoo wrasse, ballan wrasse, WWW.EUROTEKTICKETS.COM

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CLOCKWSIE FROM RIGHT: Common lob- LONE STAR STATE ster; Dahlia sea anemone; DIVE & TRAVEL EXPO Flounder; Feather star January 23 - 24, 2016 Saturday 9AM - 6PM poor cod and thousands of sprats of males, sporting the incredibly colourful Sunday 10AM - 4PM unknown species of white fish. The blue markings on the head and tails. seabed had large dahlia anemones, Under the exposed hold sections, poor plenty of starfish and shell debris from cod, ballan wrasse and tons of white- Dallas/Frisco Embassy Suites Hotel, Convention Center scallops, queen scallops and mussels. bait were all over the place. The plates 7600 John Q. Hammons Drive, Frisco, TX 75034 This is quite clearly a very productive of steel on the seabed had ling hiding site with a high yield of marine life. underneath and the seabed was dot- With my dive buddy, Phil Sturdy, ted with anemones, large starfish, scal- we first explored the bows and winch lops, and even small seapens. gears and followed our route around Big hermit crabs, razor clams and the first hold and were amazed at the burrowing anemones were dotted number of ling that were swimming around the wreckage, and inevitably, CHICAGO about in the open; cuckoo wrasse we were drawn towards the larger were everywhere, particularly the ship parts. The stern was fairly far to DIVE & TRAVEL EXPO the north, and although we were unable Feb. 26 - 28, 2015 to find her Friday 5PM - 9PM propeller, the drive shaft Saturday 9AM - 6PM and gearing mechanisms Sunday 10AM - 4PM for the engine Donald E. Stephens Convention Center room were 5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL 60018 very evident. The larger hull Manufacturer Clinics In-Depth Workshops parts had pin- Film Festival Large Exhibit Area cushion starfish Seminars Travel Planning (Porania pulvil- and several species of nudibranch. SOURCES: PLIMSOLL SHIP DATA, WIKIPEDIA Equipment Sales Try Scuba Pool lus) and most Soon enough, time was over on the of the covering ship’s exploration and we returned to Lawson Wood is a widely published For More Information: kelp had paint- the Elizabeth G, happy and satisfied underwater photographer and author ed topshells after diving on one of the best ship- of many dive guides and books. For E-Mail: [email protected] (Calliostoma wrecks off the west coast of Scotland. more information, visit: www.lawson- Or Visit Our Website at: www.OurWorldUnderwater.Com zizyphinum)  wood.com.

13 X-RAY MAG : 68 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap Finders of SS Central America cannot keep gold hoard Federal judge in the US America Discovery Group, with Denied title Limited Partnership, the current state of Virginia has ruled the remaining 10 percent to be But US District Judge Rebecca salvor-in-possession, to enjoy im- divided among insurance un- Beach Smith on August 11 de- mediate title to the artifacts it has that the explorers cannot derwriters. Significant amounts of nied Recovery Limited title to recovered since early 2014, then cite “finders keepers” as gold and artifacts were recovered the wreck, finding that salvage the court would risk an 'unsuper- justification for claiming and brought to the surface. Thirty- rights preclude the maritime law vised rush to the site to recover that treasure as their own. nine insurance companies filed of finds, which was intended for anything that could be grabbed.' suit, claiming that because they naturally occurring valuables, The public interest in historic SS Central America, known as the paid damages in the 19th century such as ambergris and whales. shipwrecks would be diminished, Ship of Gold, was a 280-foot (85m) for the lost gold, they had the right "A free finders-keepers policy is if such an 'unsupervised rush' to sidewheel steamer that sank in a to it. but a short step from active pi- sunken treasure were to result."  hurricane off the coast of the Car- The team that found it argued racy and pillaging," Smith wrote. SOURCE: LAW.JUSTIA.COM olinas in September 1857, along that the gold had been aban- "Were this court to allow Recovery with more than 420 passengers doned. After a legal battle, 92 and crew and 14 tonnes of gold percent of the gold was awarded with an estimated value of US$300 to the discovery team in 1996. million on today's market. In March 2014, Recovery Limited With so much money on the hired the Odyssey Marine Explo-

CGB / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / CC BY-SA 3.0 BY-SA CC / CGB / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS line, ownership of the loot has ration group to conduct further ar- been entrenched in legal battles cheological recovery and conser- ever since its discovery by Colum- vation of the remaining shipwreck. Eight escudos gold coins with profile of Philip V of Spain, dated 1730 bus-America Discovery Group in Those operations managed to find 1989. and recover gold and artifacts In 1990, a Virginia federal court which had initially gone over- Divers find $4.5 million in 18th awarded 90 percent of the gold looked, including an 80-pound century gold coins off Florida to salvor-in-possession, Columbus- gold ingot that sold for $8 million. SS Central America sank in a hurricane in September 1857. Around 350 gold coins were July 30. recovered 300 years to the day Nine of the gold coins are very after 11 Spanish ships sank in a rare Royals. Valued at US$300,000 Bell from WWII battleship HMS Hood recovered hurricane off the coast of the each, these coins were made for US state of Florida at Sebastian. the King of Spain in the 18th cen- On 7 August, 2015, a the Bismarck sunk the ship in the Sunk by Bismarck who served in the ship before her A salvage company, 1715 tury. Bartlett told reporters, “They research team led by US North Atlantic. HMS Hood is the largest Royal final mission in 1941, and relatives Fleet Queens, led by CEO Brent were specifically made for King The bell was first discovered and Navy vessel to have been sunk, of those lost with her. Brisben, owns the rights to the Philip V, incredibly rare, only 20 philanthropist and entre- photographed in July 2001. The causing the largest loss of life suf- In May 1941, she and the battle- 1715 Fleet shipwreck site. known to exist before we found preneur Paul G. Allen suc- bell was found lying on the seabed fered by any single British warship ship Prince of Wales were ordered Brisben said, "These shipwrecks these nine.” cessfully recovered the well away from the parts of the and the recovery is fully supported to intercept the German bat- were pushed by the hurricane Brisben said not since 1998 bell of the battlecruiser battlecruiser's hull. A 2012 Allen- by the HMS Hood Association tleship Bismarck and the heavy into the outer edge of the reef have artifacts such as these led expedition to recover the bell whose members include veterans cruiser Prinz Eugen, which were en and then they were utterly been found. "These Royals are HMS Hood, which sunk in was hampered by route to the Atlantic destroyed by the wave action, perfect specimens of coinage of 1941 during World War II. prevailing weather where they were so pieces of these ships have the time and they were made on conditions and to attack convoys. floated for miles all the way into royal order for the king of Spain The bell was successfully recov- technical difficulties. On 24 May 1941, the beach up into the dunes." to be mostly given out as [a] ered the 7 August. Allen's team The bell is in good early in the Battle of Diver William Bartlett, who was presentation piece.” led the operation using his yacht condition but will the Strait, the first person to stumble upon Twenty percent of the find will MY Octopus, which is equipped require a year-long Hood was struck the gold in just in just 2m (6ft) of go to the State of Florida to be with a state-of-the-art remotely expert conserva- by several German water, was on his third dive on displayed in a museum for public operated vehicle (ROV). Once tion and restoration shells, exploded the shipwreck site, along with viewing.  restored, the bell will respectfully effort because it and sank.  Brisben and Jonah Martinez, SOURCES: CATHOLIC.ORG, serve as a tangible and fitting me- has spent so long in SOURCE:: PR NEWSWIRE when he made the discovery on THEGUARDIAN.COM, WILX.COM morial for the 1,415 lives lost when deep seawater. ALLAN C. GREEN & ADAM CUERDEN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy.

14 X-RAY MAG : 68 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO he added. The wreck was first found by sportsdivers in the 1970s, but unaware of the iden- tity and significance of the wreck, it was not until much later, in 2000, that archae- ologists learned about the discovery. In 2013, archae- ologists identified the ship as the Gribshunden. The wooden ship is in remark- JOHAN RÖNNBY/MARIS | BLEKINGE MUSEUM ably good condition, left Considering it sank more than 500 years ago, the wreck is still in good condition. relatively free of sea worm damage and is among the Sea monster figurehead from a 15th best-preserved ships from the early modern period.  century Danish warship wreck salvaged SOURCE: BLEKINGE MUSEUM

The Gribshunden (Griffin) "It's a sea monster—and is thought to be the we have to discuss what world's best-preserved, kind of animal it is,'' said late Medieval Age ship. Johan Ronnby, professor of Gribshunden was a Danish marine archaeology. warship and the flagship ''I think it's some kind of of King John of Denmark, fantasy animal—a who ruled in 1481–1513. with lion ears and a croco- Gribshunden sank in 1495 dile-like mouth. And there “The diving and snorkeling in the seems to be something in An experience at Wakatobi is outstanding – (in southern ) after his mouth. There seems to MUSEUM BLEKINGE catching fire off the coast be a person in its mouth Figurehead from the wreck of 15th century Danish warship without equal that’s well known. But equally of . and he's eating somebody,'' Gribshunden was carefully lifted from the seabed. important is the world-class customer service of every staff At Wakatobi, we take great pride in member. Wakatobi can teach National Historic Site in Nunavut for Franklin wrecks providing the ultimate in exclusive and customer service to any industry Adding the wrecks of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to the National Historic Sites of personalized service. Our dive staff and or organization. You feel at home private guides ensure your in-water Canada list provides the site with the protections afforded by the Canada National the first day, and it just gets experiences are perfectly matched to Parks Act and its regulations. better every day after that.” your abilities and interests. While at the Parks Canada plans to cre- shipwreck is regarded as signifi- the shipwreck itself and its artifacts, resort, or on board our luxury dive yacht Steve and Cindy Moore, April 2015 ate a new National Historic Site cant to the story of Canada. There as cultural and historical resources, Pelagian, you need only ask and we will around the wrecks of HMS Erebrus is therefore a cultural benefit to and to allow for the application and HMS Terror. On April 8, the Canada from protecting this im- of enforcement powers, offences gladly provide any service or facility Canadian government amend- portant national historical site and and penalties under the act. This within our power. For all these reasons ed the National Historic Sites of its artifacts," said the agency in a includes fines of up to CA$100,000. and more, Wakatobi takes top honors Canada, registering the 10km statement. A management plan will be among discerning divers and snorkelers. by 10km area around the place completed within five years. Sum- where Franklin’s ships are both Fines up to $100,000. mer dive operations involve both thought to have sunk. The order will provide the federal scuba-diving and surface-supplied “The story of John Franklin has government with the authority to diving from small vessels anchored captured the imagination of prevent unauthorized access to to blocks carefully placed around www.wakatobi.com Canadians and the HMS Erebus protect the site of the shipwreck, the site. 

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