Maritime record MDO20025 - Grane

Remains of 1918 wreck of Norwegian cargo vessel, located approximately 10 miles WSW of the Bill of Portland, identified by her bell. She foundered in this position after being torpedoed en route from Swansea for Rouen with coal. Constructed of steel in 1899, she was a steam-driven vessel.

Norwegian steamship torpedoed by UB 80.

Position 50 29.23N 2 42.78 W taken from (11)

Gross tonnage

Wreck Site and Archaeological Remains:

Horizontal Datum: OGB (1)
Vertical Datum: LAT (1)(7)
Quality of Depth: swept by wire-drag (1)(7)
General Depth: 43 metres (1)(7)
Orientation: N/S; 150/330 (1)(7)
Method of Fix: SYL (1)

10-MAR-1918: Position 50 27 00N, 02 34 00W.

22-JAN-1960: Wreck drift swept. Clear at 18 fathoms, foul at 19 fathoms. Least depth by echosounder 113 feet. Length 250 feet; lies in a N/S direction.The shallowest part is at the northern end, position 50 29 20N, 02 42 44W.

26-JAN-1983: Wreck shown in Decca; conversion 50 29 18N, 02 42 43W.

23-JUL-1984: National Grid co-ordinates 34 95 52E, 65 80 3N obtained. Swept clear at 33.4m, foul at 34m. Least echosounder depth 35m in general depth 43m. Scour 1m deep. Side scan sonar height 8-9m. (1)

Wreck lies in a general depth of 43m, orientated 150/330 degrees. Wreck has been positively identified by the recovery of the ship's bell in 1986. (3)

A porthole recovered from this wreck off Portland Bill. (Droit A/1339) (6)

An unmarked bell recovered from this wreck, 20 miles south of Portland Bill. (Droit A/2155) (6)

A 6" diameter porthole without glass recovered from this wreck, Lyme Bay. (Droit A/2339) (6)

A porthole recovered from this wreck, position 50 29.14N 002 42.47W. (Droit A/2966) (6)

Charted without qualification as the GRANE, in 43m general depth; surrounding environment of sand; no site dimensions given. (7)

Located 10 miles WSW of the Bill of Portland. (8)

Wreck Event and Documentary Evidence:

Torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UB-80 and went down immediately. (3)

09-MAR-1918: GRANE, 1122 tons; sunk by submarine 4 miles WSW of Portland Bill en route from Swansea for Rouen with coal. (4)

09-MAR-1918: GRANE, 1122 tons; sunk by German submarine UB-80 in the Channel off Weymouth. (5)

Dimensions: 1122 tons gross, 682 net; 231.1 x 33.2 x 13.7 feet.

Built as GRANE for her first owner in Bergen, 1899; although she changed hands a number of times, Bergen remained the home port of her owners.

09-MAR-1918: Torpedoed by UB-80 5 miles WSW of Portland Bill, with the loss of two crew, en route from Swansea for Rouen with 1430 tons of coal. (9)

09-MAR-1918: GRANE, 1121 tons, torpedoed by submarine 5 miles WSW of Portland Bill. (10)

Built: 1899 (2)(3)(5)(9)(10)
Builder: Bergens Mek. Verks (2)(3); Bergens mek. Verksted (9)(10)
Where Built: Bergen (2)(3)(9)(10)
Machinery: Bergens mek. Verksted (9)
HP: 97 (2)(3); 112 (9)
Boilers: 2 (2)(3)
Propulsion: Screw-driven, 3-cylinder triple-expansion engine (2)(3)(9)
Master: H Lassen (2)(3)
Crew Lost: 2 (9)
Owner: Dpsk. Granes Rederi (2)(3); Albert Schjelderup, Bergen (9)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
DGWP p26(10)

<1> United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, 1992, Hydrographic Office wreck index (Index). SWX4837.

<2> Larn, Richard, 1992, United Kingdom shipwreck index (Index). SWX5030.

<3> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<4> 1990, Lloyds war losses, The First World War: Casualties to shipping through enemy causes 1914-1918, 205 (Index). SWX4540.

<5> Von Munching, L, 1968, Merchant shipping losses of Allied, neutral and central powers during and shortly after World War I, 85 (Monograph). SWX4751.

<6> 2001, Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Receiver of Wreck Amnesty, 23-Jan to 24-Apr-2001 (Index). SWX4542.

<7> SeaZone Hydrospatial, Digital marine geographic information derived from SeaZone Hydrospatial, 22-APR-2008 (Digital archive). SDO20540.

<8> 1977, Admiralty Chart 2454, 22-APR-2008 (Cartographic materials). SDO14746.

<9> http://www.skipet.no, accessed and translated from the Norwegian on 22-APR-2008 (Digital archive). SDO20138.

<10> Miramar Ship Index www.miramarshipindex.org.nz, 10630 > accessed on 22-APR-2008 (Digital archive). SDO20161.

<11> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1999, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (3rd Edition) (Monograph). SWX1.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 904612 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 11 2024 4:38PM