Grecian

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′ x 20.1′ x 5.5′ and her gross tonnage was 119 gross tons, 38 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion team engine by Earle’s Shipbuilding and Engineering Co Ltd delivering 45 registered horse power. She was first registered as GY15 on the 13th February by  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 20th April 1917 while fishing off the Berwick Bank, approximately 22 miles NE by E from the Longstones Light Vessel, she was stopped by the German Type UC11 minelaying submarine UC-44 commanded by Kurt Tebbanjohanns and subsequently boarded and scuttled. Her crew survived and were set adrift in the ship’s boat and fortunately got safely ashore. The Grecian was not the only casualty to suffer at the hands of UC-44 that day,  Earlier, off Girdleness, she had stopped and scuttled the steam trawler Erith again with no loss of life.

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.

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 of 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.