Maritime record MDO20098 - Moidart

Remains of the 1918 wreck of a Scottish cargo vessel torpedoed by the German submarine UC 77 approximately 8.9 nautical miles SSW of West Bay. The MOIDART was an iron steam-driven vessel, and was on route from Barry to Le Havre with a cargo of coal.

Armed merchantman sunk by UB 77, very close to wreck of Ailsa Craig

Position 50 34.02 N 2 47.22 W taken from <3>

Horizontal Datum: OGB
Vertical Datum: LAT
Quality of Depth: SWS
General Depth: 33 metres
Orientation: 350/170
Method of Fix: SYL
<4>

Built: 1878
Builder: E Withy and Co.
HP: 156
Boilers: 2
Propulsion: Screw driven, 2 cylinder compound engine
Armament: 1 x 12pdr., 12cwt., stern mounted
Owner: J Cormack and Co, Johns Place, Leith
Master: H Arthurson
Crew: 21
Crew Lost: 15
Construction: Q.deck 84ft; b.deck 67ft; f.castle 31ft; 1 x deck;
well-deck.
Machinery: T Richardson and Sons, Hartlepool.
<4>

Master: George Skea
1st Mate: William Drever
Gunners: W. J. Coles, AB, RNR No 51491
John Johns, LS. RNVR
<6>

The MOIDART was torpedoed on the starboard side abreast of the after hold at 1am by the German submarine UC77. The ship sank within four minutes, the crew being thrown into the sea where they clung to wreckage. The submarine then closed on the survivors and hailed them, asking for the name of their ship. The survivors were picked up at 6.30am the same day by a patrol vessel. The W/T code books and confidential papers went down with the ship. <4>

The MOIDART was torpedoed amidships and is lying on her starboard side with her stern broken off. Her gun was recovered by Peter Cornish and is reportedly being conserved at the National Maritime Museum. She is 35m with her bow section upright. <1-2>

Her stern lies some 20yards away broken off from about the engine room, leaving her boiler and engine exposed in the bow section 6 m proud in 33m. Her bell was recovered in 1992 by the charter boat Channel Chiefton. <3>

The MOIDART was attacked a by UC-77, Oberleutnant Johannes Ries on her starboard quarter and was hit by a torpedo on her starboard aft. She sank stern first almost immediately, the crew swimming in the water, the submarine did not rescue them. Six men were picked up by the CLIFTON GROVE of Glasgow. Her gun has been lifted and being conserved.at the National Maritime Museum. <6>

She was torpedoed on the starboard side, abreast of the after hold at 1.00am and sank at once. She was carrying coal and 80 tons of steel plate. The crew were thrown into the water and the survivors clung to the wreckage. The submarine hailed them and asked for the name of the vessel. The survivors were picked up at 6.30am by a patrol vessel, 15 died. <10>

20-JAN-1960: Wire drift sweep clear at 13 fathoms foul 14 fathoms. Least depth 86 feet. General depth 19 fathoms. Lies in a NW/SE direction length 300 feet; shallowest part is at the centre.

Position 50 33 58N, 02 47 15W. Positively identified as SS MOIDART (built 1878). No coal seen but holds full with railway lines. Has 3 inch gun mounted on stern identified July 1975 by recovery of plate giving owner's name (James Cormack Co. of Leith).

10-JUL-1975: Diver reported bow still complete and stands about 45 feet off the seabed. Midship section completely demolished together with bridge. Superstructure back broken and stern section lying on port side. Holds full with railway lines.

26-JAN-1979: 3 inch gun raised by Portsmouth and Medway clearance diving team.

25-JUN-1984: National grid coordinates 34 42 83E, 74 46 7N obtained. Swept clear at 27.0, foul at 27.5m. Least echo sounder depth 27.2m in general depth 33m. Scour 1m deep. Side scan sonar height 8.75m.

Wreck in two parts - northern part about 70m long lying 169/349 deg; southern part about 35m long lying 030/210 deg. <4>

A brass buckle recovered from this wreck in Lyme Bay, position 50 34.02N 002 47.22W. (Droit A/918).
A pocket watch, a brass razor case, a fork and a spoon recovered from this site in Lyme Bay. (Droit A/1108).
A frame/back silver pocket watch, a banknote clip, and a Hamilton bottle recovered from this site in Lyme Bay, 8 miles south of West Bay. (Droit A/1138).
An empty 4" shell case recovered from this wreck in West Bay. (Droit A/1714). <11>

A pharmaceutical pot, no lid, marked 'JOHN T. COATS, EDINBURGH & LEITH' and 'TOOGOOD PATENT', recovered from the wreck of the MOIDART in Lyme Bay. (Droit 126/10) (14)

A glass lamp chimney, and a glass funnel measuring approximately 15cm long, recovered from the wreck of the MOIDART in Lyme Bay. (Droit 214/10) (14)

Additional sources:
Lloyds Register.1917-18 No.1296(M)

Former owner: J Gardiner & Co. (1878-1893) <12>

<1> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1984, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (1st Edition), 33-34 (Monograph). SWX1714.

<2> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1990, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (2nd Edition), 33-34 (Monograph). SWX5640.

<3> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1999, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (3rd Edition), 50-51 (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> 1988, British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18 and 1939-45, 91 (Monograph). SWX4538.

<6> Maw, Neil, 1999, World War One Channel Wrecks (Vessels lost in the English Channel 1914-1918), 161, Area8, No 8/21 (Monograph). SDO20146.

<7> Hocking, Charles, 1990, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam, 479 (Monograph). SWX4536.

<8> Tennant, A J, 1990, British Merchant Ships Sunk by U boats in the 1914-1918 War, 54 (Monograph). SWX4539.

<9> 1990, Lloyds war losses, The First World War: Casualties to shipping through enemy causes 1914-1918, 221 (Index). SWX4540.

<10> Admiralty Records, ADM/137/2964 (Monograph). SDO20160.

<11> 2001, Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Receiver of Wreck Amnesty (Index). SWX4542.

<12> Miramar Ship Index www.miramarshipindex.org.nz, accessed on 05-FEB-2016 (Digital archive). SDO20161.

<13> National Record of the Historic Environment, 904642 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 11 2024 4:12PM