Nydalen

The steel cargo steamship Grevelingen was launched from the yard of Gebroeders Volker at Sliedrecht, Netherlands in June 1920.  She measured 171.1′ x 28.4′ x 12.3′ and her tonnage was 625 gross tons, 283 net tons.  Her triple expansion steam engine by J & A van der Schuijt generated 52 nominal horse power.  She was  built for, and first owned by, N. Haas & Company of Rotterdam. During her career the ship changed ownership no fewer than eleven times in twenty years. In this timescale she also had a succession of name changes as follows; Carham – 1921, Sunnland – 1928, Kong Frode – 1937 and finally Nydalen in 1938 when she was acquired by A/S D/S Nydalen of Odda, Norway..

The Nydalen was travelling from Runcorn to Methil via Kirkwall in ballast when she ran aground in the early hours of Sunday 31st March 1940. A strong south westerly wind was blowing and the night was dark as she headed north along the east coast of Tiree and Coll. When around one mile south of Arinagour she ran aground on a reef at full speed, leaving the vessel high and dry as the tide receded. 

Initial attempts to launch their two lifeboats were hampered as the stern of the vessel was clear above surrounding water and they had to wait until the tide had risen. An SOS was issued after daylight and the Tobermory lifeboat Sir Arthur Rose left her home port at 10.35hrs en route for Coll. On arrival the lifeboat crew found Captain Jensen and his thirteen crew in the lifeboats, sheltering under the stern of the wreck. The crew were taken onboard the Tobermory lifeboat and safely landed at Arinagour.  They were later able to return to the wreck and recover possessions and valuables.

The poor weather continued, and reports from Coll to Lloyd’s of London did not make good reading. By 2 April the note read “bottom smashed from fore to bunker, side plates both sides bursting, forecastle under water at high water”. Two months later Lloyd’s reported “Nydalen is now considered a total loss. It is thought that the vessel is being taken over by the Ministry of Supply for breaking purposes”. Our research confirms that the wreck was broken up in-situ, most probably during June-July 1940 and by the Dalmuir based ship breaking company of W. H. Arnott Young.

The pictures above show the Nydalen ashore, most likely on a reef called Airne na Sgeire, south of Arinagour. The extent of the breaking is not confirmed but as the site is reasonably protected from the west it unlikely that much debris will remain around the reef.

We would like to thank W. Sloan Smith for allowing us to reproduce pictures from his photographic collection which records the work of the ship breaking company – W. H. Arnott Young of Dalmuir and Troon.