The steel steamship Kaffir was launched from the Kirkintilloch yard of J and J Hay (Yard No 61) in 1944. She measured 66.75′ x 18.5′ x 8.8′ and her tonnage was 97 gross tons. Built for the Glenlight Shipping Co Ltd., Glasgow she operated mainly between the various ports of the Firth of Clyde with a few longer trips through the Crinan Canal to the islands of the southern Inner Hebrides. In 1961 her compound steam engine was replaced with a more powerful up to date diesel engine.
Kaffir underway
On the evening of Monday 23rd September, 1974 the Kaffir was safely moored in Ayr harbour having loaded her cargo of coal for Rothesay. Skipper Charles Marr was enjoying an evening beer in a bar close to the harbour with his deckhand when the police arrived with a message that the Kaffir was aground 200 metres north of the Monkey Pier, just outside the harbour. Her third crew member, John Henderson, a last minute replacement for the vessel’s regular engineer, had arrived in Ayr and visited another bar where he had expected to find skipper Marr but, when he didn’t meet him as expected, he had gone to the Kaffir alone and had inexplicably decided to set out on the voyage alone. At the subsequent trial in Ayr Sherriff Court Henderson admitted that he had a drink or two in the bar before going to the Kaffir and that he ‘might have been under the influence’ when he got on board the vessel. He said that he set out on the voyage but quickly realised his mistake and turned back to return to the harbour but almost immediately the Kaffir had gone aground. He was found guilty of theft and sentenced to six months in prison.
The following day Skipper Marr was ferried out to the stranded vessel and spent a few hours trying to pull her off the rocks with the power of her engine but, unfortunately, was injured in the attempt and had to be lifted off by a Navy helicopter. A number of subsequent attempts were made to refloat the Kaffir over the following few days but she was eventually written off as a constructive loss in October 1974.
The remains of the Kaffir lie where she stranded in position 55° 28.405’N, 04° 38.232’W. For many years the wreck was clearly visible at all states of the tide but the continual pounding by the sea has gradually broken down the wreck. Some portions of the ship are still visible at low tide.
MV Kaffir wreck c 1982.
MV Kaffir wreck c.1998.
The wreck lies in two sections at right angles to the shore, with the stern section closer inshore. Depths around the wreck vary from 4 metres at high water to less than a metre at low water springs. Diving along this section of Ayr beach is not very pleasant due to the silty water from the nearby River Ayr and the general lack of depth.
An aerial picture of the wreck (Clyde-Drone)
The above picture shows the condition of the wreck in 2022. The two main sections are the bow to north west and stern (on left of photo) closest to the harbour wall. This picture was taken around low tide and shows the bow and stern above sea level, the sides of the fore hold lie fallen out on the seabed (dark lines), the boom of the mast lies to starboard pointing ashore. We would like to thank Clyde-Drone for permission to reproduce their picture of the wreck. (https://www.facebook.com/ClydeDrone)
