Maritime record MWX1505 - Gibel Hammam (Bamburgh)

British cargo vessel, 1918 Torpedoed and sunk off Abbotsbury by the German submarine UB103. She was a steel-hulled steamer, en route from Swansea to France with a cargo of coal.

(1) Year Built: 1895 Builder: Wood Skinner and Co Where Built: Newcastle upon Tyne Engine HP: 90 Boilers: 2 Propulsion: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine Owner: Bland Line; M. H. Bland and Co. Ltd Master: J Sapp Crew: 22 Crew Lost: 21 Additional Construction Details: Machinery by NE Marine Eng. Co. Ltd, Newcastle; 1 x deck; well-deck; q.deck 90ft; b.deck 16ft; f.castle 27ft (3)(7) Ex-BANBURY. Torpedoed and sunk off Abbotsbury by the German submarine UB103; the master was amongst those killed in the explosion. (3) Source (5) spells vessels name GIBEL HANAM. Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB 103, off Abbotsbury, Dorset, 15 miles W of Portland Bill.(1) 26-JUN-1952 Wire drift sweep clear at 12 fathoms, foul at 13 fathoms; general depth 16 fathoms, least depth 90 feet; seabed, fine sand over chalk; length 300 feet. Lying in a NNE/SSW direction.(1)

09-OCT-1978 Identified as the GIBEL-HAMAM, purchased by members of the Taunton branch, BSAC.(1) 18-JAN-1983 Wreck shown in 50 35 47N 002 52 59W. (Kingfisher chart K(SW)1, 1982).(1)

30-JUN-1984 Examined in 50 35 50N 002 52 58W. Swept clear at 24.0m, foul at 24.4m. Least depth 24.8m in general depth 30m. Scour 1m deep, height 6m. Lying, in one piece, NW/SE.(1)

A shell case and binnacle stand recovered from this wreck in Lyme Bay. (Droit A/1107).(8)

A pressure gauge recovered from this wreck (Droit A/3284) (8)

A banister post and brass screw recovered from this wreck, Lyme Bay. (Droit A/3392).(8)

A brass porthole light recovered from this wreck, position 50 35.82N 002 53.00W. (Droit A/3565).(8) Additional source: DS. P62

Gross tonnage

Positon 50 35.85 N 2 52.95 W taken from (9)

The wreck was identified by the raising of the 48lb bell engraved BAMBURG her former name. she lies upright in 31m, 24m to the deck. (9)(10)

Identified by her bell BAMBURGH, she still lies upright, stem and stern intact, amidships showing torpedo damage, boiler partly exposed. (11)

Wreck event and documentary evidence:

Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB 103, off Abbotsbury, Dorset, 15 miles W of Portland Bill. (1)

Ex-BAMBURGH. Torpedoed and sunk off Abbotsbury by the German submarine UB103; the master was amongst those killed in the explosion. (3)

Source (5) spells vessel's name GIBEL HANAM.

The only survivor thought she had struck a mine while crossing Lyme Bay but UB-103 also claims the sinking, off Abbotsbury. (12)

She was attacked at 9.30pm off Abbottsford, Dorset, there was only one survivor from the ship a Greek helmsman who states the ship was blown up and sunk. He got hold of a wooden case full of empty tins and drifted ashore, landing 4 miles west of Abboitsford. Twenty one crew were lost including the master. (13)

Year Built: 1895
Builder: Wood Skinner and Co
Where Built: Newcastle upon Tyne
Engine HP: 90
Boilers: 2
Propulsion: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine
Owner: Bland Line; M. H. Bland and Co. Ltd.(13)
Master: J Sapp
Crew: 22.(13)
Crew Lost: 21.(13)
Additional Construction Details: Machinery by NE Marine Eng. Co. Ltd, Newcastle; 1 x deck; well-deck; q.deck 90ft; b.deck 16ft; f.castle 27ft
(3)(7)

1 Survivor: The coxwain
Current owner: Paul Streeton, Lyme.
(Source 1 gives Taunton BSAC).
(9)(10)

Owner: Watts and Watts
Armament: 1 aft gun
Survivor: Amanuel Markaras, Greek, coxswain.
(12)

Additional source:
Dorset Shipwrecks. P62

<0> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck 252/00 (Unpublished document). SWX89.

<0> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck 260/00, 260/00 (Unpublished document). SWX100.

<0> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck 453/00 (Unpublished document). SWX163.

<0> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/1107 (Unpublished document). SWX387.

<0> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/3284 (Unpublished document). SWX593.

<0> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/3392 (Unpublished document). SWX598.

<0> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/3565 (Unpublished document). SWX606.

<0> National Record of the Historic Environment, 832230 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<1> United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, 1992, Hydrographic Office wreck index, Extracted 12 November 1992 (Index). SWX4837.

<2> Hocking, Charles, 1990, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam, p271 (Monograph). SWX4536.

<3> Larn, Richard, 1992, United Kingdom shipwreck index, Extracted 23 November 1992 (Index). SWX5030.

<4> 1988, British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18 and 1939-45, p97 (Monograph). SWX4538.

<5> Tennant, A J, 1990, British Merchant Ships Sunk by U boats in the 1914-1918 War, p22 (Monograph). SWX4539.

<6> 1990, Lloyds war losses, The First World War: Casualties to shipping through enemy causes 1914-1918, p234 (Index). SWX4540.

<7> 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.

<8> 2001, Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Receiver of Wreck Amnesty (Index). SWX4542.

<9> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1984, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (1st Edition), No 25 p33 (Monograph). SWX1714.

<10> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1990, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (2nd Edition), No 25 p33 (Monograph). SWX5640.

<11> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1999, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (3rd Edition), No 30 p43 (Monograph). SWX1.

<12> Maw, Neil, 1999, World War One Channel Wrecks (Vessels lost in the English Channel 1914-1918), 163 (Monograph). SDO20146.

<13> Admiralty Records, ADM/135/2964 (Monograph). SDO20160.

<14> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 48 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<15> Cumming, E, The Dorset shipwreck and maritime incident directory, 12 (Monograph). SDO16406.

Record last edited

Apr 9 2024 11:37AM