Irish Wrecks On-Line - Arantzazu Mendi SS (No. 110)

*Vessel Type:*	Ore Carrier	*Location:*	Co. Down
*Date of Loss:*	9th May 1939	*Place:*	Butter Pladdy, South Rock
*Cause of Loss:*	Struck Rocks	*Boat Dive from:*	Portaferry
*Charted Depth:*	No longer breaks surface	*Irish O.S. Map:*	Discovery Series No. 21
*Height of Wreck:*	10m	*Admiralty Chart No:*	2093 and/or 2156
*Hull Material:*	Steel	*Latitude* *(GPS)*:	54° 22' 27.59" North
*Type of Seabed:*	Sand and rocks	*Longitude* *(GPS)*:	05° 26' 29.82" West
*Average Visibility:*	5 - 10m	*Convert Lat. & Long.* to -	Decimal - CLICK HERE
*Image available?*	Yes - see below	*Diving Experience:*	Novice

Diving Information:

Broken into sections and scattered plates.
Inhabited by quite a few Wrasse.
As the wreck is now not visible at Low Water, electronic equipment must be used to locate her.

Historical Information:

Built 1920 at Sunderland by J.L. Thompson & Sons Ltd., she grossed 6,646 tons, and was owned by Cia. Nav. Sota y Aznar, Bilao.

She measured 125.70 x 16.89 x 10.46m. and was powerted by a 3 cylinder triple-expansion engine generating 593 h.p.

Bound Bougie, Algeria, for Glasgow, she struck rocks while shrouded in dense fog.

A salvage crew which had replaced the ships crew of thirty-five, had to be taken off on the 18th June 1920 by the Cloughy Lifeboat, when she started to break up in mountainous seas.

Wreck later part salvaged by Karl Bialowas.

Largest loss on the Ards coast to date.

S.S. Arantzazu Mendi

Source Publications:

"Irish Wrecks Database"

by
Roy Stokes & Liam Dowling

"Shipwreck Index of Ireland"

by
Richard & Bridget Larn

Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Ltd 2002 - ISBN: 1900839970

"Shipwrecks of the Ulster Coast"

by
Ian Wilson

Impact Printing 1997 - ISBN: 0948154993

"Underwater Ireland Guide to Irish Dive Sites"

by
Irish Underwater Council

CFT 1999 - ISBN: 0948283025

Other Sources:

Vic Foster

-
Castlereagh SAC (1996)

Last update - 23-Sep-2013