Skotfos

The steel steamship Skotfos was launched from the Christiana (Oslo) yard of Nylands Vaerkstad (Yard No 182) on 7th January 1908.  She measured 221.3′ x 34.2; x 14.7′ and her tonnage was 1260 gross tons, 576 net tons.  She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Nylands delivering 106 nominal horse power.  Built for Akt Manchester (manager Thor Theresen) of Christiana she operated on the Baltic and North Sea routes until the outbreak of Word War One.  She continued these same voyages in the early months of the war despite the increasing danger of the patrolling Germen U-boats.

Despite this danger it was not the U-boats directly that led to her loss 15th January 1915.  In early January she departed from Trondheim bound for Manchester with a cargo of timber, wood pulp and carbide.  She crossed the North Sea safely and approached eastern Orkney in darkness on 15th January.  Wartime restrictions and precautions had stipulated that the lighthouses around our coastline were not illuminated and, as the Skotfos steamed westwards, the crew aboard were unable to see the danger of the shoreline of North Ronaldsay.  Without warning Skotfos crashed aground on Seal Skerry, a rocky outcrop off the east coast of the island and remained fast.  Luckily the weather was fairly calm and the crew were able to make it to the shore with no casualties or injuries,  Initially it was probably assumed that the ship could be lightened and refloated.  However, it was not to be.  A few days after she stranded bad weather swept in and the ship was consumed in flames as the sea water reached her carbide cargo.  The ship and her wooden cargo burned for a week before she was abandoned as a total wreck.

We have no subsequent information about any salvage of the wreck or if there is any scattered wreckage remaining at her wreck site but have assigned an approximate position of 59° 23.900’N, 02° 23.260’W for her loss.  Seal Skerry has seen a number of wrecks over the years and there is no doubt that there will be scattered flattened wreckage in the waters round the rocky outcrop.  Some of that wreckage is very likely to be from the Skotfos.