The steel steamship Herrington was launched from the Sunderland yard of S P Austin on 23rd Janaury 1905 on the order of Lambton Collieries Ltd. She measured 230.5′ x 36.0′ x 14.9′ and weighed 1258 gross tons, 777 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Richardson Westgarth and Co Ltd., Middlesbrough delivering 155 net horse power. Her ownership remained unchanged when the company changed it’s name to Lambton and Hetton Collieires Ltd in 1912. She operated on the east coast North Sea routes delivering coal to the company’s customers. The voyages continued after the outbreak of war despite the dangers of t he German U-boat fleet’s operation in the area.
It was on such a voyage that she collided with a German laid mine and sank. The German U-boat UC-77 commanded by Kapitanleutnant Reinhard von Ribenau. The submarine reached her patrol area off the Scottish east coast and laid a series of mines off Red Head, on 1st May 1917.
She continued her patrol and sank the SS Glen Tanar on the 3rd, SS Vale on the 4th, SS Odense on the 5th and SS Kaparika on the 6th before heading back to her German base.
The Herrington struck the mine the 4th May and sank shortly after. The crew of the ship managed to escape in the ship’s boats and were later picked up safely.
The wreck of the Herrington lies in position 56° 37.092’N, 002° 27.843’W in twenty metres and was identified by the recovery of the ship’s bell and some cutlery marked Herrington in the 1980s.
