SS Castilian
| History | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name: | SS Castilian |
| Operator: | Ellerman Lines |
| Completed: | 1919[1] |
| Fate: | sunk on 12 February 1943 |
| Status: | Dangerous wreck |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 3,067 tons[2] |
| Length: | 331[2] |
| Beam: | 46.8[2] |
| Capacity: | Live ammunition[3] |
SS Castilian was carrying a cargo of munitions[3] to Lisbon when she struck East Platters Rocks, near The Skerries, Anglesey, Wales and on 12 February 1943 sank.
In 1987 a Royal Navy clearance vessel spent several months removing unexploded ordnance from Fydlyn Bay nearby believed to have come from the wreck.[3] In 1997 the location of the wreck on East Platters Rocks was designated under section 2 of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 with a 500 m exclusion zone regarding scuba diving activities because of its potentially dangerous cargo.[4]
Other boats with the same name
There were two other Ellerman Lines ships called SS Castilian. The first, ex-Umbilo, was purchased in 1909 from Bullard, King & Co renamed Castilian, 1917 torpedoed and sunk by U-61 off Ireland.[1] The third built 1955, 1963 renamed City of Peterborough, 1964 reverted to Castilian (1966-7 chartered to Cunard, temporarily renamed Arabia), 1971 sold to Maldives renamed Maldive Freedom.[1] An even earlier Castilian was wrecked on Porthmadog Bar in 1868.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 "The Ships List - Ellerman and Papayanni".
- 1 2 3 "WWI Standard ships".
- 1 2 3 Holden, Chris (2008). Underwater Guide to North Wales Vol. 2. Calgo Publications. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-9545066-1-2.
- ↑ Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 1976 The Protection of Wrecks (SS Castilian) Order 1997 (Coming into force 13 August 1997)
- ↑ "Vessel Losses and Casualties in Tremadoc Bay and St Patrick's Causeway".
Coordinates: 53°25.0107′N 4°35.9176′W / 53.4168450°N 4.5986267°W