Maritime record MWX1600 - Landrail

(1) Built: 1886 Builder: Devonport Dockyard Propulsion: Screw driven Armament: 1 x 6ins.; 3 x 5ins.; 3 x TT. Owner: Royal Navy (3)

Date of Loss Qualifier: A Having been towed to Portland from Sheerness to be sunk as a target, the tug CAMEL towed her several miles out into West Bay where she was moored fore and aft. The ships of the Channel Fleet then anchored in two long lines either side of the LANDRAIL, distance between lines being roughly 2 miles. HM. battleships EXMOUTH, CAESIR, ALBERMARLE and TRIUMPH, all steamed off 4 miles and commenced firing at the target, giving the other vessels an excellent view of proceedings. Both 6 and 12 inch guns were fired at her, and the LANDRAIL took two direct hits from 12 inch shells. Having been previously reinforced and partly filled with cork, her crew then reconnected the tow back to Portland. Halfway across the bay she commenced to settle, heeled over and sank in deep water. Her crew were saved except for Signalman Leonard Wardley. The firing practice in fact only lasted between 8 and 10 minutes. (3)

HMS LANDRAIL, sunk as a target in Lyme Bay.(4)

HMS LANDRAIL was sunk as a target. 29-APR-1932 Old wreck located 297deg. Least depth 15 fathoms. 05-JUN-1952 Wire drift sweep; clear at 13, foul at 14 fathoms. Least echo sounder depth 80feet in general depth 16- 17 fathoms. Lies NW/SE. Length 350 feet. Shoalest part at its centre; position 50 33 43N, 02 37 28W. 06-MAY-1975 Least depth 28 in general depth 34m. Lies approximately N/S with 30 deg list to starboard and is in two major parts. Bow section, approximately 30m long, and stern section, approximately 65m long, faces north in line with bows. No superstructure evident. Wooden decks almost completely disappeared. Porthole recovered with broad arrow marking. May have been a Royal Navy WWI loss.

29-JUL-1984 National grid co-ordinates 35 57 55E, 73 83 7N obtained. Least echo sounder depth 26.2 in general depth 31m. Scour 1-2m deep. 24-MAY-1989 Kingston and Taunton SAC convinced this wreck is not HMS BITTERN. The former club are convinced it is HMS LANDRAIL
17-JUN-1989 Identified as almost certainly the wreck of HMS LANDRAIL by following features - bow torpedo tube; quarter and stern gallery windows; hawsepipe at bows - none of which were features on HMS BITTERN.

A porthole was recovered from a wreck in position 50 33.74N 002 37.50W. (Droit A/638). [From the position given is likely to be this vessel.].(5)

2 bunker covers recovered from this wreck, position 50 33.74N 002 37.51W. (Droit A/4258).(5)

A copper pipe, measuring approximately 5 inches long and 4 inches in diameter, and a fire brick, recovered from the wreck believed to be the remains of the LANDRAIL. (Droit 255/11) (6)

13-OCT-2010: Located by echosounder in 5033.771N, 0237.565W (WGD) using DGPS. The wreck stands 6m high.

14-MAR-2015: Examined in position 5033.759N, 0237.553W (WGD). The least multibeam depth was 26.59m in a general depth of 30m. Length 66.9m. Width 11.9m. Height 4.0m. The wreck is orientated 140/320 degrees. It is partially intact, andis listing to starboard. A strong magnetic anomaly. (7)(8)

Wreck event and documentary evidence:

HMS LANDRAIL was sunk as a target. (1)

Having been towed to Portland from Sheerness to be sunk as a target, the tug CAMEL towed her several miles out into West Bay where she was moored fore and aft. The ships of the Channel Fleet then anchored in two long lines either side of the LANDRAIL, distance between lines being roughly 2 miles. HM. Battleships EXMOUTH, CAESIR, ALBERMARLE and TRIUMPH, all steamed off 4 miles and commenced firing at the target, giving the other vessels an excellent view of proceedings. Both 6 and 12 inch guns were fired at her, and the LANDRAIL took two direct hits from 12 inch shells. Having been previously reinforced and partly filled with cork, her crew then reconnected the tow back to Portland. Halfway across the bay she commenced to settle, heeled over and sank in deep water. Her crew were saved except for Signalman Leonard Wardley. The firing practice in fact only lasted between 8 and 10 minutes. (3)

Additional sources: WT.05.and 06.10.1906®; Weymouth Library pamphlet L910.4.LA5

Gross tonnage

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

<2> Larn, Richard, 1992, United Kingdom shipwreck index, Extracted 23 November 1992 (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> Colledge, J J, 1969, Ships of the Royal Navy. Volume 1: major ships, p309 (Monograph). SWX4826.

<5> 2001, Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Receiver of Wreck Amnesty (Index). SWX4542.

<6> Receiver of Wreck, Receiver of Wreck Droit, 255/11 (Unpublished document). SWX6384.

<7> SeaZone Hydrospatial, Digital marine geographic information derived from SeaZone Hydrospatial, 19-Aug-16 (Digital archive). SDO20540.

<8> United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Wreck report, 18628 (Monograph). SDO20514.

<9> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 20 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 904640 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 2 2024 12:28PM