Scottish Shipwrecks

Information and Pictures of Shipwrecks in Scotland

  • Home
  • About
    • About Clyde Shipwrecks
    • About Argyll Shipwrecks
  • AREA INFO
    • Upper Clyde
    • Clyde Coast North
    • Arran
    • Clyde Coast South
    • Galloway
    • Kintyre & Gigha
    • Islay
    • Jura, Lorne & Oban
    • Mull Coll & Tiree
  • Shipwrecks
    • Scottish Shipwrecks
    • 1 – Galloway & Solway Firth
    • 2 – Clyde
    • 3 – Argyll
    • 4 – NW Scotland & Outer Hebrides
    • 5 – North Coast & Orkney Isles
    • 6 – Shetland Isles & Fair Isle
    • 7 – North East Scotland
    • 8 – East Scotland
    • 9 – South East Scotland
  • Book Sale
    • Argyll Shipwrecks
    • Clyde Shipwrecks
  • Blog

Thyra

The steel steamship Thyra was launched from the Sunderland yard of Osborne, Graham and Co Ltd (Yard No 106) on 30th November 1899. She measured 339.0′ x 48.0′ x 17.9′ and her tonnage was 3742 gross tons, 2419 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Blair and Co Ltd, Stockton-on-Tees delivering 300 net horse power. Built for Intsk Dampskibs Thyra’s Rederi of Tonsberg she initially operated on their Africa/Australia/New Zealand service.

SS Thyra

Extract Lloyd’s Register 1913

On 11th June 1914 she was en route from the Tyne for New York with a full general cargo under the command of Captain Neilsen who had a crew of twenty six men aboard. She had stopped briefly at Dundee and left this port at on Wednesday 10th June heading north to round Duncansby Head and through the Pentland Firth before heading out across the Atlantic. On Thursday morning the ship was enveloped in a dense fog forcing Captain Neilsen to reduce speed as they neared the entrance to the Pentland Firth. Neilsen was on the bridge when suddenly rocks were sighted directly ahead and, although the engines were put into reverse the ship ran aground, bow pointing directly towards the towering cliffs at Duncansby Head some five hundred yards north of the Duncansby Stacks. The sea was calm and smooth so the crew were in no danger but the ship was stuck fast.

Initially, hopes were high she could be successfully refloated but, despite multiple attempts by Danish salvage tugs hired by the Liverpool Salvage Association this proved to be impossible. Most of her cargo was removed during the process to lighten the ship but the gradual wearing of the ship on the rocks beneath her eventually penetrated the hull flooding most of the compartments. Salvage operations were interrupted by the outbreak of World War One and the Thyra was doomed.

The scattered remains of the Thyra are spread across a wide area in a position we estimate to be 58° 38.280’N, 03° 01.560’W in water up to 15 metres deep. The site is very exposed from the east and subject to large swells when wind and sea are coming from the east.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Our Social Media Sites

            

Shipwreck Slideshow

Admiral Cordington
Barcombe
Belford
Bombardier
Brigadier
Clydesdale
Cormoran
Coronella
Dunira
Grenadier
Harald
Hereford Express
Islay
Kathleen Stromboli
Lapwing II
Laverock
Milewater
Mountaineer
Norse
Paulina
Hexpress
Pirate
Pretorian
Princess Patricia
Rondo
Tyrconnel
Agios Minas

Site built and hosted by Braveheart Webdesign Islay