The steel steamship Granero was launched from the yard of Stavanger Stoberi and Dok (Yard No 86) in 1923. She measured 242.9′ x 37.3′ x 16.0′ and her tonnage was 1318 gross tons, 745 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by her builders delivering 144 nominal horse power. She was ordered by Hans Klaer and Company (Skibs A/S Fjeld) of Drammen in Norway.
Lloyds register 1933
On 23rd October 1933 she was en route from Hango, Finland to Grangemouth under the command of Captain Christian Brandt,with a cargo of round wood for pit props when she encountered a dense fog and heavy rain as they neared the Scottish coast. Without warning, around 7:30pm, the ship ran aground in Crawton Bay and stuck fast. The distress flares were spotted by a local farmer who raised the alarm and the lifeboats from Stonehaven, Aberdeen and Montrose were launched and sped towards the grounded ship. The local coastguard and the local police also quickly arrived on the scene and successfully established communication with the men aboard the ship using flash lamp signals.
The Granero was badly holed and filling with water but initially the crew hoped she could be pulled off and a tug was requested to attempt this. The rocket brigade soon arrived on the shoreline and, with a huge searchlight from the Aberdeen lifeboat illuminating the scene, they succeeded in getting a line onto the ship. For some time the crew persisted in their demand for a rescue tug but, after a few hours buffeted by the swell that was sweeping ashore, the crew finally agreed to leave their ship and, just after midnight, eleven men were brought ashore by breeches buoy. Captain Brandt, the first officer and five of the crew remained aboard to man the pumps still hoping that their ship could be saved and pulled off on the rising tide. A powerful tug had been dispatched from Aberdeen to attempt to save her. The rescued crewmen reported that, by the time they left their ship, there was about four feet of water in the stokehold indicating that the ship was quite badly damaged. Around 1pm the following day, with the ship in danger of breaking it’s back, five of the remaining men were taken off by the Aberdeen lifeboat. Captain Brandt and the first officer stayed aboard hoping that at least something could be done to save the cargo but, at 4pm, he was finally persuaded to leave his ship and was taken off by lifeboat with his ship buckling and sinking beneath him. The following day the ship broke it’s back and the stern section disappeared before the bow section floated off and sank leaving only the mast visible above the surface. Over the next few days a large part of the wood cargo was washed ashore along the Kincardine coastline.
Granero aground at Crawton Ness with rocket brigade on the scene
In the 1970’s some salvage was carried out on the wreck site and the 1 ton manganese bronze spare propeller was raised and recovered by Messrs Entwistle and Sons of Dundee.
Bronze propeller recovered from wreck
The remaining wreckage of the Granero lies half a mile off shore east of Crawton Ness in approximate position 56° 54.456’N, 002° 11.396’W (WGS84). The wreckage is well broken and spread across the seabed in depths from 13 – 16 metres.
