The Maidens Wreck List
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Vessel Type:

Steam Tanker

Location:Co. Antrim
Date of Loss:5th January 1908Place:The Maidens
Cause of Loss:Ran agroundBoat Dive from:Ballylumford
Charted Depth:10 - 35mIrish O.S. Map:Discovery Series No. 9
Height of Wreck:ScatteredAdmiralty Chart No:2198 and/or 2199
Hull Material:SteelLatitude (GPS):54° 57' 13.56" North
Type of Seabed:RocksLongitude (GPS):05° 44' 50.94" West
Average Visibility:10 - 15mConvert Lat. & Long. to -Decimal - CLICK HERE
Image available?Yes - see below Diving Experience:Experienced
 
Diving Information:  
  • Lies off the North-East corner of Russell Rock.
  • Badly broken up. Bows are about 7m, boiler 35m.
  • Dive at slack High or Low Water, but last of ebb tide is best.
  • Subject to strong currents at other times - 6 to 8 knots in full flood.
 
Historical Information:
  • Owned by Anglo-American Oil Co. of London, she was built by Naval Construction & Armament Co. in 1893, and grossed 4,041 tons.
  • Measuring 347.4 x 45.6 x 27.2ft., she was powered by triple-expansion engines, generating 345nhp.
  • She was bound Barrow-in-Furness for New York in ballast when she struck Russell Rock.
  • One of the rockets that was fired, fell back on board and started a fire.
  • Thirty minutes later there was an explosion and the "Housatonic" slid off the rock and sank. Two crew were lost.
  • Captained by Captain J.B. Henry.
    •
  • Took the crew 4 hours to get to the Maidens Lighthouse.
 

S.S. Housatonic

© by kind permission of Auke Visser's Esso Tanker web site

Source Publications:
"Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam 1824 - 1962"
by
Charles Hocking
London Stamp Exchange 1989 - ISBN: 0948130474
by
Roy Stokes & Liam Dowling
"Shipwreck Index of Ireland"
by
Richard & Bridget Larn
Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Ltd 2002 - ISBN: 1900839970
"Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast 932 - 1997"
by
Dr. Edward J. Bourke
Edward J. Bourke 1998 - ISBN: 0952302713
"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:
Peter Steel
-
North Irish Lodge, Islandmagee (1999)
The Maidens Wreck List

Last update - 31-Oct-2005
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