Maritime record MWX1604 - Fisgard II (Invincible, Erebus)

Year Built: 1870 Builder: Napier Where Built: Glasgow Propulsion: Screw Driven Armament: 10 x 9in guns; 4 x 64pdr Owner: Royal Navy Crew: 64 Crew lost: 21 Date of Loss Qualifier: A Originally the iron clad INVINCIBLE, renamed, EREBUS in 1904 and down graded to a training ship, she was renamed FISHGUARD II in January 1908. Placed on the sale list she was withdrawn when at the outbreak of WW1 there was a shortage of naval training establishments. On 17-SEP-1914 under tow of the tugs DANUBE and SOUTHAMPTON off Portland in heavy weather her condition became serious as she shipped water through her hawse pipes. Her engines and steering gear had been removed previously. The crew endeavoured to correct her trim by shifting machinery on the upper deck to a lower level but this failed to work and she keeled over until she lay on her beam ends. Four boats and twenty lifebelts only were available to her crew and one of the boats smashed as it was being launched. She sank about 5 miles offshore at 4.20pm. The captains of both tugs reported that she had made signals of distress earlier, but they could not get her into Portland.(2)(3) The vessel had no engines or boilers.(4) Foundered while in tow of tugs DANUBE and SOUTHAMPTON. Was originally the ironclad battleship INVINCIBLE. Renamed EREBUS April 1904, and then FISGARD II in January 1906. Lost in rough seas 5 miles approx. off Portland while en route Portsmouth to Scapa Flow. A porthole recovered from this vessel off Portland. (Droit A/2826).(8)
She lies completely upside down and is against a high reef. Even though she is still in good condition, her highest point is still at a depth of 47m. Her depth and position make her a difficult, dark and hazardous dive. (5)

Position 50 28.23 N 2 29.44 W taken from (5)

<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> 1990, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea, p243 (Monograph). SWX4840.

<5> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1999, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (3rd Edition), Wreck 116, p98 (Monograph). SWX1.

<6> Shipwreck Guide to Dorset and Lyme Bay, p61-62 (Monograph). SWX4810.

<7> Colledge, J J, 1969, Ships of the Royal Navy. Volume 1: major ships, p284 (Monograph). SWX4826.

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

<9> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/2826 (Unpublished document). SWX554.

<10> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 916 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

Record last edited

Sep 12 2008 2:02AM