Maritime record MDO20092 - Merchant Royal (Goodwood)

Remains of an English cargo steamer which foundered in 1946 while on tow to Portland after a collision with another ship which caused her holds to leak, the flood extending to the engine and boiler room. She lies some 11 miles SW of the Bill of Portland. Built of steel in Liverpool in 1928, she was a steam-driven vessel.

Sank following collision with USS William B Travis

Position 50 20.05N 2 29.68 W taken from (3)

Vertical datum: LAT
Horizontal datum: WGS 84
Quality of fix: Surveyed with DGPS, found by echo-sounder and dived - bell 'GOODWOOD 1928' recovered.
Charted as MERCHANT ROYAL, entire wreck in the Marine zone.

Vessel structure / Archaeological remains:

Position noted as 50°20.07N 002°29.78w, at a depth of 42m in water 54m deep.
Sonar length 122.2m, sonar breadth 16.8m. Debris field extends 16m to the South. (1)
Orientation of vessel: 96° (1)

'Upright, Intact.' (1)

'Settled on the bottom with a heavy list to starboard, her upper samson post came within 18 metres of the surface on low water springs until demolition in 1969. She lies in about 57 metres of water with her bows blown off but her mid section and stern are upright, listing heavily to starboard. She stands approximately 15 metres tall and visibility is usually excellent.' (2, Comment by JL dated 2007)

'Today she lies with her bows blown off, but her mid section and stern are upright with a heave list to starboard. The sea bed is sand and shale with a scattering of 12'' boulders at a depth of 57m.' (3 P97-8)

'The wreck is reported to still be in good condition, and lies in a general depth of 53m, orientated SE/NW.' (4)

After she foundered / when first detected:

'Salvage operations to commence. Both sets of Samson-posts are in position and wreck is on keel. Depth over posts is 60ft at mlws. (Commercial in Confidence Portsmouth 28.9.56)' (1)
28.9.56
'One Samson-post removed. The remaining post is approximately 110ft above seabed. Salvage operations suspended. (Risdon Beasley 22.1.57)' (1)
10.2.60
'Checked with Lloyds and Risdon Beasley about name GOODWOOD. Nothing known. RB worked on MERCHANT ROYAL in 1956 (Wrecks Officer).' (1)
19.6.9
'Bell recovered Aug 1984. Name 'GOODWOOD - 1928'. Wreck still in good condition. (M Skelsey).' (1)
22.8.84
'Dived 27.5.03 in 50°20.19N, 002°29.96W [WGD] using DGPS. Stands 7m high by depth gague. Scour 1m deep. Mainly intact. Stern with a 5° list to port. Bows buckled and twisted with 15° list to port. (C R POOLE). Amend position. BR STD.' (1)
8.10.03
'Debris extend 16m to the South. Well broken (Gardline, HI 961). Amend wreck 42m. BR STD.' (1)
8.12.03

Two small silver plated desert forks, marked NW on handle, with a pitted surface and one prong broken. Both forks were in poor condition; A copper oil drip tray, measuring 8cm x 20cm. The objects were recovered from the wreckof the MERCHANT ROYAL, off Weymouth. (Droit 120/01) (7)

'The ex-GOODWOOD ('36), was involved in a collision with the USS WILLIAM B TRAVIS at about 2.30 am, 30m East of Start Point [at] 50°15N 03°W. No. 5 and 6 holds flooded and later the engine and boiler room. At 10am tugs took her in tow for Portland but she sank at 4.45pm, 7m South of Portland Bill, leaving her bow and foremast showing above the water. Salvage was considered impracticable, and three days later the wreck became totally submerged some 10m off Portland, having drifted from her original position… Salvage operations commenced in 1960 to remove both sets of Samson-posts, during which time Ridson Beasley Ltd carried out salvage work. In 1969 her masts were demolished to a minimum depth of 39m. In 1984 a ship's bell was recovered bearing the name goodwood-1928.' (4) Sources 1, 2 and 3 tell the same story.

Source 2 shows two photographs of the vessel.

Built: 1928 (2) (4)
Where built: Southshields (2) (4)
Builder: John Redhead and Sons Ltd (2) (4)
Propulsion: Doxford single-shaft triple expansion engine (2) (4)
Boilers: 3 (2) (4)
HP: 423 (2) (4)
Speed: 9.5 knots (5)
LBD: 126 X 17 X 7.9m (2); 122.29 X 16.76 X 7.8m (4)
Tonnage: 5008 gt (2) (4)
Owner:
1928 - 1936 named GOODWOOD and owned by J Constantine SS. (6)
1936 - 1946 named MERCHANT ROYAL and owned by Lykiardopulo and Company. (6)
At time of loss, named MERCHANT ROYAL and owned by the Drake Shipping Company Ltd, Liverpool (2)

No information can be found to explain the discrepancy between the owners listed for the vessel at the time of her loss, or any further information about the vessel.

Date of loss qualifier: Actual date of loss

Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
Lloyds Register 1944-5 No.80544 (M); Mountjoy, D. et al 1988 Divers Guide to the Weymouth & Portland Area'.

<1> United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Wreck report, 18505 (Monograph). SDO20514.

<2> https://www.wrecksite.eu/Wrecksite.aspx, 4851 > Accessed 14-JUL-2010 (Digital archive). SDO20096.

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

<4> 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.

<5> Miramar Ship Index www.miramarshipindex.org.nz, Accessed 14-JUL-2010 (Digital archive). SDO20161.

<6> Miramar Ship Index www.miramarshipindex.org.nz, Accessed 14-JUL-2010 (Digital archive). SDO20161.

<7> Receiver of Wreck, Receiver of Wreck Droit, 2001 (Unpublished document). SWX6384.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1520999 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 11 2024 2:22PM