Armoured Cruiser

• The remains of the wreck were blown up in 1979 by the Royal Navy.
• It now resembles a large scrap yard more than anything else. The 6ins. guns are still visible.
• Plenty to see with lots of nooks and crannies to be explored.
• Can be dived at any state of the tide, but make sure the anchor is secure as the wind can blow the boat off station.
• The wreck lies 200m north of a South Cardinal Buoy outside the entrance to the harbour.
• There is a fee to to use the slip at Ballycastle Harbour.
• Warning!! Ammunition lying around - it could be in a dangerous state.

• The "Drake" was a four funnelled Armoured Cruiser of 14100 tons, she had spent the war years on Atlantic patrol, escorting convoys.
• Built at Pembroke Dockyard in 1902, she measured 500 x 71 x 26ft. and was powered by triple-expansion engines with Belleville boilers. These generated 30,557 I.H.P., giving a maximum speed of 24 knots.
• Her weapons consisted of - two 9.2in guns, sixteen 6in., fourteen 12-pounders, three 3-pounders, 2 torpedo tubes, two maxims and a compliment of 900 men.
• While protecting the west bound Convoy HH24, she was torpedoed by U-boat U-79, five miles north of Rathlin.
• The original intention was to beach her in Church Bay, but she rolled over and sank before she reached the shore. Out of 900 crew, 19 were killed in the incident.
• She was commanded by Captain S.H. Radcliffe.
• Sporadic salvage operations commenced in 1920.   Eventually, after having been a continual hazard to shipping, the Navy blew her up during the latter part of the 1970's.