HMS Blackmorevale

The steel Hunt Class minesweeper HMS Blackmorevale was launched from the yard of Ardrossan Drydock Co Ltd (Yard No 279) on 23rd March 1917. She measured 231.0′ x 28.0′ x 7.0′ and displaced 750 tons. She was powered by 2 x 3 cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines, 2 x Yarrow boilers driving twin propellers delivering 1800 ihp giving her a top speed of 16 knots. She was only lightly armed given her primary purpose as a minesweeper with one quick firing 4 inch deck gun forward, one quick firing 12 pounder at the rear and two .303 machine guns.

On 1st May 1915 HMS Blackmorevale and HMS Pytchley were on duty off the east coast of Scotland sweeping for mines around Montrose Bank. The mines had been laid by two German U-boats, U-80 and U-71, a week earlier. In command of Blackmorevale Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Luscombe had seventy five men aboard. At 2pm a huge explosion erupted directly under the captain’s cabin. 

Lieutentant Luscombe and 25 of his crew were killed instantly in the explosion. Thankfully Blackmorevale did not sink immediately. As she began to settle by the stern HMS Holdernook approached the wreck and was able to take off the survivors. Four men succeeded in boarding Blackmorevale with a view to saving her. They reported the after stokehold and engine room flooding fast but were able to secure towing hawsers but before Holderness could begin the tow Blackmorevale took on a heavy list and the attempt was abandoned. Blackmorevale slowly capsized and sank at 3:45pm. She was reported sunk in 40 fathoms.

Previous research indicated that the mine that sank Blackmorevale was laid by U-71 laid on 20th April. However recent further research and analysis by wreck researcher Kevin Heath would suggest she was actually sunk by a mine laid by U-80 on April 27th. Further details are available on the lostinwatersdeep.co.uk website.  We’d like to thank Kevin Heath for his permission to use the map above. 

The wreck of Blackmorevale was discovered and identified by divers from Marinequest Eyemouth.  While we do not, as yet, have conclusive detail of the location of the wreck we believe the wreck in position 56° 39.035’N, 01° 16.121’W is Blackmorevale.  This wreck lies in the depth reported by Marinequest and closely matches the location of the mines laid by U-80 in April 1915. She lies in 65 metres with a least depth clearance of 60 metres oriented 060/240 degrees.  The wreck is reported to be well broken and scattered.

We’d like to thank Steve Sanders for his permission to use his underwater photographs of the wreck in this article.