The steel cargo steamship Baron Ardrossan was launched from the Glasgow yard of D & W Henderson (Yard No 919) on 4th May 1932. She measured 360.9′ x 51.7′ x 23.4′ and her tonnage was 3896 gross tons, 2334 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by D & W Henderson delivering 249 nominal horse power.
Extract of Lloyd’s Register 1940
SS Baron Ardrossan
She was built to the order of the Hogarth Shipping Company of Ardrossan and remained in their ownership until her loss.
The Baron Ardrossan loaded a general cargo of pig iron, peanuts and oil cake at Calcutta and departed from there in on 6th October 1940. She routed via Cape Town and Durban before reaching Freetown, Sierra Leone on 25th November. Here she joined a large convoy SL57 heading for Liverpool. As the convoy reached the North Channel Baron Ardrossan headed into the Firth of Clyde anchoring off Greenock on 22nd December. She then joined a small coastal WN61 bound for Methil via the Pentland Firth departing on 28th December.
The first sign of any problem came around 01:50 on 30th December when the postmaster on the Isle of Barra alerted the Coastguard to the sound of a ship’s siren coming from the south. The Barra lifeboat Lloyd’s was launched shortly after. The weather was reasonable, with a light north easterly breeze, although the night was dark and visibility poor with a heavy swell running from the west from recent bad weather. The lifeboat proceeded south searching the many small islands and reefs around Vatersay. They soon found a large steamship aground on the south east side of Sandray Island which turned out to be the Baron Ardrossan. The steamer’s stern was hard on the rocks with bow submerged to the front of the bridge and the swell was rolling over her foredeck. Her position was critical and the lifeboat manoeuvred to go alongside. After an initial foray where the Lloyd’s was nearly washed aboard the wreck, they secured ropes alongside and began to evacuated the crew. The lifeboat was rising and falling dangerously on the swell and the officers on the steamer controlled the evacuation and transfer of their Lascar crew. Once the crew were aboard the lifeboat they headed north for Castlebay where they arrived around 08:00. Having safely landed all 54 crew, the lifeboat headed back to the wreck to allow the master to recover the ships papers, returning to Castlebay around 14:00. The Baron Ardrossan was recorded as being ashore on the south east corner of the island of Sandray, near the Skertichenish Rock (aka. Skerlechinish).
Extract from Lloyd’s annual casualty report for 1942 – Lloyd’s Register
Tugs were sent for but, on arrival and with deteriorating weather conditions, they were unable to approach the wreck which lay under sheer cliffs exposed to the Atlantic swell. By the 8th January 1941 her back had broken, the bridge and funnel were gone and the poop deck and forecastle were awash. Salvage was considered impossible at least until the summer months and she was abandoned as a constructive total loss.
The Baron Ardrossan is reported to lie in position 56° 52.853’N, 007° 30.305’W by the UK Hydrographic Office which is in a small bay to the west of Leehinish, south east corner of Sandray Island. The site has been dived by a number of groups over the last 30 years and diving information has been submitted and included in UK HO data sheet for this wreck. The wreckage is noted as being totally broken and smashed into gullies in around 6 metres. Many large plates and hull section were noted rising no more than 2 metres above seabed. Wreckage extends to a depth of 24 metres. The bow appears to point towards the island and the boilers and engine lie on the corner of the bay. A dive report from 1990 suggests the wreckage lies on the east side of the bay near a prominent large cave in 18 metres of water, with propshaft, engine parts and boilers more to the south.
The notes above are based on diver reports which are now 30 years old, so it is likely, as the wreck degrades from corrosion and weather that there will be little recognisable structure to see today….but you never know!
