The Grecian was an iron steam trawler built by Cook Welton & Gemmell at Beverley (Yard No 153), and launched on 18th January 1896. Her dimensions were 88.5’x20.1’x5.5′ and she had a gross tonnage of 119 tons. The Grecian was first registered as GY15 on the 13th February by her new owner, Thomas Robinson of Grimsby. She was later sold on to a Charles Dobson in 1915 and again to a Thomas Whitehead of Scarborough in 1916.
On 20 April 1917 while fishing off the Berwick Bank, approximately 22 miles NE by E from the Longstones Light Vessel that she was captured by the German Type UC11 minelaying submarine UC 44 and subsequently boarded and scuttled. Her crew survived and were set adrift in the ships boat and fortunately got safely ashore. The Grecian was not the only casualty to suffer at the hands of UC44 that day, earlier off Girdleness she had scuttled the trawler Erith, again the crew got ashore safely.
The Wreck Today
The wreck of the Grecian lies at the north end of the Berwick Bank in position 56°07.839’N 001°22.822’W. The wreck lie oriented 244°/064° with bow pointing NE. Seabed depths on the wreck range from 47-48.8 metres, the wreck rises no more that 1.5-2 metres above seabed level.
Grecian slideshow
The wreck is badly degraded, probably due in part to the shallower depths on top of the bank and perhaps the age of the vessel and her demise. The key features are the bow post heeled over to port, the winch, the boiler and the engine. The stern is tightly wrapped in fishing net, and from the location of steering and navigation gear it is through that her wheelhouse was located aft of the main funnel.
The Grecian is an excellent dive and is often visited by Iain and Jim Easingwood who run Marine Quest Charters in Eyemouth. The wreck lies just under 30 miles from their base and can be a reached in about two hours in their fast dive vessel the Jacob George.
Picture of a similar type and age of vessel.
