The steel steam tanker Prudentia was launched from the Newcastle yard of Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Co Ltd. (Yard No 615) on 4th June 1889. She measured 312.0′ x 40.2′ x 19.8′ and her tonnage was 2781 gross tons, 1770 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Palmers and Co Ltd delivering 269 nominal horse power.
Extract Lloyd’s Register 1915
Ordered by Alfred Stuart (Petroleum Transport and Storage Company Ltd) London she was immediately sold to W A McMullen (London) and, again within months, resold to J L Lennard and Sons Ltd. of Middlesbrough.
Builders GA drawings-Lloyd’s Register
On 12th January 1916 she was in the Orkneys with a full cargo of oil presumably to supply the British High Seas Fleet based there. Captain Legg was in command of the ship and he had a crew of twenty nine men aboard. Prudentia was moored off the island of Flotta when she dragged her anchor in a gale. The ship fouled the propeller of the steamship Hermione and was badly holed. She quickly filled and began to settle but, thankfully, the crew were able to escape safely in the ship’s boats before she heeled over and sank. The wreck was surveyed soon after her loss but it was decided at the time that there would be no salvage attempt mainly because the Admiralty did not want to divert the resources required from other more pressing wartime needs and she was not a navigation hazard.
The wreck of the Prudentia lies in position 58° 50.838’N, 003° 07.944’W oriented 010/190 degrees. The wreck has been basically undisturbed since she sank although has been continually monitored as her cargo of oil remains on the ship with only some minor leaking which can be seen at times on the surface above the wreck. In 1998/9 she was the subject of an extensive ROV survey and then, in 2000/1 Leask Marine were engaged to place sandbags extensively over the wreckage to keep the oil from leaking further. The wreck lies on her port side in 23 metres with a least depth clearance of 10 metres. The area around the wreck is restricted substantially due to the proximity to Flotta Oil Terminal. No diving is allowed.
We would also like to thank Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Heritage & Education Centre for allowing us to reproduce documents from their archive in this article.
