SS Castilian (1919)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Castilian |
| Owner | Westcott & Laurance Line |
| Operator | Ellerman Lines |
| Port of registry | London |
| Builder | Sir Raylton Dixon & Co |
| Yard number | 618 |
| Launched | 26 June 1919 |
| Completed | 1919 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | wrecked on rocks 12 February 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Shipping Controller Type C |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 331.3 ft (101.0 m) |
| Beam | 46.8 ft (14.3 m) |
| Depth | 23.2 ft (7.1 m) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | 310 NHP |
| Propulsion | triple-expansion steam engine |
| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h) |
SS Castilian was a British
An exclusion zone under section 2 of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (Prohibition on approaching dangerous wrecks) forbids scuba diving within 500 metres (1,600 ft) of the wreck because her explosive cargo remains dangerous.[1]
Namesakes
Castilian was owned by Westcott & Laurance Line, a subsidiary of Ellerman Lines. She was the second of three Ellerman ships to bear the name.
Ellerman's first Castilian had been Bullard, King & Co's Umbilo, which Ellerman bought in 1909 and renamed. SM U-61 torpedoed and sank her in the North Atlantic northwest of Ireland in 1917.[2]
Ellerman's third Castilian was built for the company in 1955. From 1963 onwards she was renamed several times. In 1971 she was sold to Maldivian-registered owners and renamed Maldive Freedom.[2]
Other earlier ships have been named Castilian but were not Ellerman ships.
History
Sir Raylton Dixon & Company built the ship in Middlesbrough to the Shipping Controller's standard Type C design. Richardsons Westgarth & Company supplied her triple-expansion steam engine.[3]
The Shipping Controller named all merchant ships with the prefix "War". Sources disagree as to whether Castilian was built as War Acacia[4] or War Ocean.[5]
Castilian's UK official number was 143384. Until 1933 her code letters were KCJF.[3] In 1934 these were replaced with the wireless Call sign GBVX.[6]
In the
On 11 February 1943 Castilian, laden with munitions, left Liverpool unescorted. The next day she struck rocks off The Skerries, Isle of Anglesey and sank.
Wreck
In 1987 a Royal Navy clearance vessel spent several months removing unexploded ordnance from nearby Fydlyn Bay that was believed to have come from the wreck.[1]
In 1997 the site of the wreck on East Platters Rocks was designated under section 2 of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (Prohibition on approaching dangerous wrecks) because of her dangerous cargo. An exclusion zone prohibits scuba diving within 500-metre (1,600 ft) of the wreck.[8]
See also
- SS Kielce – 1946 shipwreck in the English Channel that exploded during a salvage operation in 1967
- SS Richard Montgomery – 1944 shipwreck in the Thames Estuary that still contains a dangerous cargo of explosives.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9545066-1-2.
- ^ a b Swiggum, Susan; Kohli, Marjorie (18 January 2006). "Ellerman & Papayanni". The Ships List.
- ^ a b Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1930. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Castilian". Tees Built Ships. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "War I – War O". WWI Standard Ships. Mariners. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1943. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ Hague, Arnold. "Ship Movements". Port Arrivals/Departures. Don Kindell, ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 1976 The Protection of Wrecks (SS Castilian) Order 1997 (Coming into force 13 August 1997)
53°25.0107′N 4°35.9176′W / 53.4168450°N 4.5986267°W
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1943 | |
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