The steel steamship Dagmar was launched from the Middleton yard of Furness, Withy and Co Ltd (Yard No 275) on 7th June 1904. She measured 324.7′ x 46.9′ x 22.4′ and her tonnage was 3072 gross tons, 1963 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Richardsons, Westgarth and Co Ltd delivering 284 nominal horse power. Ordered by A/B Poseidon (K O F Dalman), Gothenburg she operated from this Swedish port for her entire career. In 1916 she was sold to Fornyade Angfartygs A/B Viking Rederi A/B Transatlantic (G Carlsson) which was also based in Gothenburg and renamed Scandanavic.
SS Scandanavic alongside
Lloyd’s register 1913 (Dagmar)
The details of the circumstances of her loss are not recorded but on 1st February 1917 she was en route from Galveston, Texas to Gothenburg with a cargo of cotton under the command of Captain A Hultman when she ran aground in fog on a sunken reef 0.6 miles west of the south end of Skea Skerries, Westray Sound, Orkney. It is likely that the ship was heading for Kirkwall to undergo a wartime inspection and presumably the captain lost his bearings in the poor visibility and tidal streams in the area. In fact, Scandanavic had run aground only a few hundred metres from the spot where SS Llama ran aground on 29th October 1915 in very similar circumstances. Thankfully Scandanavic had stranded in relatively calm weather allowing the crew to disembark and reach the shoreline of Westray safely with injury or casualty.
Wreckage believed to be from the Scandanavic has been reported by divers scattered over a wide area in depths of 13 metres south of Skea Skerry. The wreckage, in approximate position 59° 14.539’N 02° 59.664’W, was described in 1972 to be very broken but features such as engines and boilers visible with keel, propeller shaft and a discernible stern section apparent. The bow section was more broken and scattered. A mast was reported on top of the reef. We have no information on the site in more recent times although presumably some substantial wreckage remains.
