Archaeology Notes

Event ID 861505

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/861505

NC66SE 8001 c. 6836 6214

N58 31.67 W4 15.65

NLO: Torrisdale Bay [name centred NC 690 623]

Pentland Firth [name centred ND 35 81].

Location formerly entered as NC 6880 6274 [N58 32 W4 15] and NC c. 688 627 [N58 32 W4 15.2].

The derelict forepart of the former oil tanker John Randolph, seen drifting on Thursday off the north Sutherland coast, went ashore during the night on Sanex Beach at Torrisdale Bay. The hulk broke adrift three days ago from the Dutch tug Oceanis, 150 miles NW of the Hebrides, while on tow in rough weather from Iceland to shipbreakers at Bo'ness. The Oceanis has arrived at Rotterdam.

The weather on the north coast was rough yesterday, and local opinion is that unless early efforts are made to refloat the hulk, it will become firmly embedded in the sand.

Source: Aberdeen Press and Journal, 6 September 1952.

Quality of fix = PA

Horizontal Datum = UND

Circumstances of Loss Details

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The Liberty Ship JOHN RANDOLPH was mined and sunk in an allied minefield at the eastern entrance to the Denmark Strait, whilst en-route from north Russia to Reyjkavik. The fore part was later salved but broke its tow whilst en-route to the Firth of Forth for scrapping and it went ashore at Torrisdale Bay, Sutherland.

Source: The Liberty Ships.

Surveying Details

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24 July 1987. The position given is for filing only - 58 32 00N, 004 15 00W.

Hydrographic Office, 1995.

(Classified as Liberty Ship: no cargo specified, but date of loss cited as 5 September 1952). John Randolph: fore part only. On tow, adrift, and ashore in Torrisdale Bay, Sutherland.

Registration: American. 7176grt. Length: 127m. Beam: 17m.

(Location of loss cited as N58 32.50 W4 15.0).

I G Whittaker 1998.

This ship was built by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, in February 1942, with engines and machinery bu Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation, Harrison, New Jersey.

During July 1942, she was one of five ships accidentally mined in an allied minefield at the Eastern entrance to the Denmark Strait, while en route from North Russia to Reykjavik. The forepart of the vessel was slaved at towed to Reykjavik (1 September 1952), but broke adrift (5 September 1952) in position N59 20 W7 33 while being towed to the Forth for scrapping. The remains of the vessel were washed ashore and wrecked at Torrisdale Bay, Sutherland.

L A Sawyer and W H Mitchell 1970; L A Sawyer and W H Mitchell 1970; P Elphick 2001.

Both the location assigned to this record and that cited by UKHO remain unverified. Sanex Beach is not noted as such on the 1999 edition of the OS 1:50,000 map, but the name presumably applies to some or all of the extensive sands on the S side of Torrisdale Bay.

The fate and location of the after part of the vessel apparently remains unknown.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 26 June 2008.

(Location amended to NC c. 6836 6214 [N58 31.67 W4 15.65]). The forepart of this vessel (comprising the bow, forecastle, and nos. 1 and 2 holds) is clearly visible on 'National Survey' vertical air photography (58/RAF/1419 F21 0021-2, flown 22 April 1954). The surviving portion stands erect on the beach, with bow to the SE and apparently at the mid-tide level. There is a clean break across the ship aft of hold 2, and the hatch-covers have been lost, but some at least of the kingposts and derricks remain in position.

The remains of this vessel are also visible (beneath increasing degrees of sand deposition) on the following imagery:

OS 68/129/074-5, flown 24 May 1968, and FCC 7343/41/977-8, flown 27 May 1975. These show the vessel as having been turned to (roughly) bows South.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 27 June 2008.