Carron: Water Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney

Horizontal Datum = OGB

General water depth = 1

Orientation of keel/wreck = NS

Circumstances of Loss Details

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The single-screw steel steamship CARRON was built in 1894 and sunk as a blockship.

Source: Wrecks of Scapa Flow.

Surveying Details

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14 March 1972. The wreck's position is given as 58 50 35.5N, 002 54 00W, or bearing 191 degrees, 350 metres from the spot height 170 on Burray. The keel lies on an orientation of 000/180 degrees. The hull is virtually intact with superstructure from the bows to within 6 metres of the stern. The entire ship is sunk into the sand. Only 1.5 metres height of the bows, 2.4 metres of the midships and 0.6 metres of the aft are visible. The bows are never covered by the sea. Earlier salvage by Messrs Matches has put a large crater over the engine room area.

Report by Undermarine Operations, 5 March 1972.

5 March 1976. A large hulk with little superstructure remaining is to be found at 58 50 33.3N, 002 54 02.0W. The position given is that of the base of the stern mast which is the only mast remaining and appears to have collapsed to an odd angle from the vertical. The wreck is about 70 metres long and is lying on an orientation of 000/180 degress with the bows to the north.

Source: Ordnance Survey aerial photography dated 16 May 1973

28 August 1992. The wreck is substantially intact and only a small section of superstructure is exposed at low water.

Sources: MacDonald 1990; Ferguson 1985

Hydrographic Office, 1995.

Throughout the two World Wars Scapa Flow served as the base of the British Home Fleet. Access to these waters was guarded by a series of coastal batteries, booms and blockships. The blockships comprised old and damaged vessels which were deliberately sunk in position so as to form a submarine obstacle to deter enemy incursions. By 1943, the completion of the Churchill barriers, which cut off the eastern approaches to Scapa Flow, rendered the blockships obsolete. After 1945 some of the blockships were dispersed by explosive to clear the shipping lanes while many others were salvaged for parts and metal. The wrecks of several blockships remain on the sea bed and in the inter tidal zone.

(i) The Pontos (ND 49 NE 8002), a 3, 265 ton steel single-screw steamer was built in Glasgow in 1891. She was sunk in 1914 and now rests c.12m offshore to the SE of Water Sound.

(ii) The Clio (ND 49 NE 8006), a 2,733 ton steel single-screw steamer was built in Hartlepool in 1889. She was sunk in 1914 and is visible to the centre of Water Sound at low tide.

(iii) The Lorne (ND 49 NE 8008), a 1,186 ton single-screw steamer was built in Hull in 1873 and sunk in 1915. The wreck was later dispersed by explosives and only fragments now survive.

(iv) The Naja (ND 49 NE 8008), a concrete barge, was sunk in 1939 and lies to the centre of Water Sound.

(v) The Carron (ND 49 NE 8004), a 1, 017 ton single-screw steel steamer, was built in Dundee in 1894. She was sunk as a blockship in 1940 and now lies, partially buried under sand, to the NE side of Churchill Barrier #4.

(vi) The Juniata (ND 49 NE 8022), a twin-screw steel motor tanker, was built in Sunderland in 1918. Sunk in 1940, she now lies to the NE side of Churchill Barrier #4.

(vii) The Gondolier (ND 49 SE 8001) was a 173 ton paddle steamer built in Glasgow in 1866. Sunk in 1940, she now lies on the SE side of the barrier.

(viii) The Collingdoc (ND 49 NE 8005), a 1,1780 ton steel single-screw steamer was built in 1925 in Hill-on-Tees. She was sunk in 1942 and lies partially buried under the sand to the SE end of the barrier.

(ix) Unidentified wreckage (ND 49 NE 8003) stands above HWM.

(Classified as steel steamship: former names cited as Glasgow and Stirling, and date of loss as 3 March 1940). Carron: this vessel was scuttled as a blockship in Holm Sound. It now lies on the seaward side of the N end of No. 4 barrier.

Registration: Grangemouth. Built 1894. 1068grt. Length: 73m. Beam: 10m.

(Location of loss cited as N58 50.55 W2 54.03).

I G Whittaker 1998.

The name Holm Sound applies to the waters E of Lamb Holm [name: HY 485 003] on the E side of Scapa Flow.

Water Sound is the most southerly of the four sounds that pierce the Eastern side of Scapa Flow. It formerly separated the islands of Burray (to the N) and South Ronaldsay (to the S), but is now crossed by Churchill Barrier No. 4 (ND49NE 17), which blocks it near the E (North Sea) end.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 2 April 2007.

Whittaker ID : 84

Name : CARRON (EX. GLASGOW, STIRLING)

Latitude : 585033

Longitude : 25402

Date Built : 1894

Registration : GRANGEMOUTH

Type : SS (STEEL)

Tonnage : 1068

Tonnage Code : G

Length : 73

Beam : 10

Draught : 5m

Position : Exact Position

Loss Day : 3

Loss Month : 3

Loss Year : 1940

Comment : Scuttled as a blockship in Holm Sound. Now lies seaward side N end of No.4

UKHO Identifier : 001253

Feature Class : Wreck

State : LIVE

Classification : Unclassified

Position (Lat/long) : 58.84258,-2.90056

Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)

WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.84217,-2.90216

WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)

Position Quality : Unreliable

Depth Quality : Depth unknown

Water Depth : 1

Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide

Name : CARRON

Type : BLOCKSHIP

Flag : BRITISH

Orientation : 0.0

Tonnage : 1017

Tonnage Type : Gross

Date Sunk : 03/03/1940

Contact Description : Entire wreck

Original Sensor : Reported Sinking

Last Sensor : None reported

Original Detection Year : 1940

Last Detection Year : 1992

Original Source : Other

Last Source : Other

Circumstances of Loss : **SINGLE-SCREW STEEL SS, BUILT 1894, SUNK AS A BLOCKSHIP. (WKS OF SCAPA FLOW).

Surveying Details : **H2496/72 14.3.72 POSN 585035.5N, 025400W, OR 191DEGS, 1150FT FROM SPOT HT 170 ON BURRAY. LIES N/S. HULL VIRTUALLY INTACT WITH SUPERSTRUCTURE FROM BOWS TO 20FT OF STERN. ENTIRE SHIP SUNK INTO SAND AND ONLY 5FT OF BOWS AND HULL TO 8FT MIDSHIPS AND 2FT AFT VISIBLE. BOWS NEVER COVERED BY SEA. EARLY SALVAGE BY MESSRS MATCHES HAS PUT A LARGE CRATER OVER ENGINE ROOM AREA. (UNDERMARINE OPERATIONS, 5.3.72). INS AS DWP. BR STD.

**H1270/76 5.3.76 LARGE HULK WITH LITTLE SUPERSTRUCTURE REMAINING IN 585033.3N, 025402.0W. THE POSN GIVEN IS THAT OF THE BASE OF THE STERN MAST WHICH IS THE ONLY ONE REMAINING & APPEARS TO HAVE COLLAPSED TO AN ODD ANGLE FROM THE VERTICAL. WRECK IS ABOUT 70MTRS LONG & IS LYING N/S, BOWS N. WRECK CALLED CARRON ON SURVEY [E5835/5]. (ORDNANCE SURVEY AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY 73/137 DTD 16.5.73 FOR PHOTOPLOT PG 1428-LP1).

**3.7.80 NOT SHOWN ON NC 35 (AREA BLUED OUT).

**28.8.92 SUBSTANTIALLY INTACT, BUT NOW MAINLY BURIED IN SAND AT NE END OF BARRIER. ONLY A SMALL SECTION OF SUPERSTRUCTURE IS EXPOSED & DRY AT LW.GENERAL SHAPE CAN BE MADE OUT FROM RIBS, WHICH RUN OUT TO SEA & INTO SAND. STERN MAST COLLAPSED ACROSS HULL. (WKS OF SCAPA FLOW & DIVE SCAPA FLOW).

Charting Comments : POSN FOR FILING ONLY

Date Last Amended : 09/02/2005