Irish Wrecks On-Line - Normanby Hall MV (No. 646)

*Vessel Type:*	Motor Coaster	*Location:*	Co. Antrim
*Date of Loss:*	8th October 1965	*Place:*	Belfast Lough
*Cause of Loss:*	Sank while under tow	*Boat Dive from:*	Whitehead or Bangor
*Charted Depth:*	10m	*Irish O.S. Map:*	Discovery Series No. 15
*Height of Wreck:*		*Admiralty Chart No:*	1753
*Hull Material:*	Steel	*Latitude (approx.):*	54° 43' 34" North
*Type of Seabed:*		*Longitude (approx.):*	05° 43' 25" West
*Average Visibility:*	3 - 8m	*Convert Lat. & Long.* to -	Decimal - CLICK HERE
*Image available?*	Yes - see below	*Diving Experience:*	Experienced Novice

Diving Information:

Lies 0.5 miles off Kilroot.
Badly broken up as she was dispersed by explosives due to being a hazard to shipping.
Launch from Carrickfergus at any time, or Whitehead 2 hours either side of High Water as slip is high and dry at other times.
Dive 1 hour before High Water Belfast.

Historical Information:

Built 1943 by John Harker Ltd., Knottingley, for the Ministry of Transport as "Empire Rancher".
She grossed 332 tons, measured 148.0 x 21.7 x 9.6ft. and was powered by a 5 cylinder 2SCSA oil engine from Crossley Brothers, Manchester.
Renamed "Normanby Hall" by the Anglo-Danubian Transport Co.
On 08/06/65 she stranded on Tara Point in fog, whilst on a voyage from Birkenhead to Belfast with a cargo of flour and animal feed.
Later refloated, but sank under tow to Carrickfergus, 0.5 miles off Kilroot, though one source places her 0.5 miles and 233 degrees from the North Briggs Buoy - the opposite side of Belfast Lough.

Source Publications:

"Cambrian Coasters"

by
R.S. Fenton

World Ship Society 1989 - ISBN: 0905617525

"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

Impact Printing 1997 - ISBN: 0948154993

"Underwater Ireland Guide to Irish Dive Sites"

by
Irish Underwater Council

CFT 1999 - ISBN: 0948283025

Other Sources:

Gordon Leathem B.E.M.

-
From his private notebook (2008)

Michael Hamilton

-
Castlereagh SAC (1997)

Peter Steel

-
North Irish Lodge, Islandmagee (1999)

Royal Navy

-
Hydrographic Department (1970)

Last update - 20-Jan-2014