Hms Jason: Passage Of Tiree
Minesweeper (20th Century)-(1917), Motor Torpedo Boat (19th Century) (1892)
Site Name Hms Jason: Passage Of Tiree
Classification Minesweeper (20th Century)-(1917), Motor Torpedo Boat (19th Century) (1892)
Alternative Name(s) Lunga, Treshnish Isles; 'off Coll'; 'between Coll And Mull'; Sound Of Tiree; Atlantic; Hms Jason; Hms Jason (Possibly)
Canmore ID 102552
Site Number NM25SE 8001.01
NGR NM 2523 5247
Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102552
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish Maritime - Argyll And Bute
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Maritime
- Former County Not Applicable
NM25SE 8001 c. 256 538
N56 35.7 W6 28.3
NLO: Coll [name centred NM 20 57]
Tiree [name centred NM 00 45].
Possibly on map sheet NM25NE.
Quality of fix = PA
Evidence = Estimated
Horizontal Datum = OGB
General water depth = 73
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The HMS JASON, built 1892, was sunk by mine near Coll island on 7 April 1917.
Sources: World War I Shipping Loses, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea, Ships of the Royal Navy.
It was reported in the log of the accompanying vessel HMS CIRCE that the JASON was mined and sank in less than 5 minutes on 3 April 1917.
Report by J Brown, head of NHB memo 4 February 1981.
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
22 March 1919. The wreck is in 56 33 00N, 006 28 00W approximately. [NM 2560 5381: N56 35.75 W6 28.25].
Report by V. A. Stornoway.
1 November 1929. The site is now charted as a non dangerous wreck, position approximate.
19 October 1972. The site is now charted in 18.2 metres.
24 February 1981. The vessel was reported, in log of the accompanying vessel HMS CIRCE, to have sunk rapidly in 56 35 45N, 006 28 15W.
Report by J Brown, head of NHB, memo dated 4 February 1981.
This plots in a general depth of 73 metres.
Hydrographic Office 1995.
(Date of loss cited as 7 April 1917). HMS Jason (possibly): annotation on pre-1930 chart.
(Possible location cited at N56 36.67 W6 27.33 [NM c. 266 554]).
(Classified as Torpedo Gunboat: date of loss cited as 7 April 1917). HMS Jason: this vessel was mined off Coll.
Registration: London. Built 1892. 810 tons displacement. Length: 69m. Beam: 8m.
(Location of loss cited as N56 35.75 W6 28.25 [NM 2536 5010]).
I G Whittaker 1998.
Classification changed from Motor Torpedo Boat to Minesweeper and location downgraded from N56 35.75 W6 [NM 2560 5381] to NM c. 256 538 [N56 35.7 W6 28.3] on account of imprecision of original report and lack of wreck evidence. The location assigned to this record is essentially tentative. Larn and Larn cite a location at N56 35 W6 30.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 12 March 2002.
Change Of Use (1914)
Prior to WW1, HMS Jason was converted for minesweeping duties and at the outbreak of war she joined the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow as part of the Second Fleet Sweeping Flotilla.
Information from Kevin Heath (SULA Diving) 15 March 2023
Reference (2011)
Whittaker ID : 292
Name : HMS JASON
Latitude : 563545
Longitude : 62815
Date Built : 1892
Registration : LONDON
Type : TORPEDO GUNBOAT
Tonnage : 810
Tonnage Code : D
Length : 69
Beam : 8
Draught : 4m
Position : Position Approximate
Loss Day : 7
Loss Month : 4
Loss Year : 1917
Comment : Mined off Coll.
Reference (2011)
Whittaker ID : 913
Name : HMS JASON (POSSIBLY)
Latitude : 563640
Longitude : 62720
Position : Exact Position
Loss Day : 7
Loss Month : 4
Loss Year : 1917
Comment : On a pre-1930 chart.
Reference (19 April 2012)
UKHO Identifier : 002645
Feature Class : Wreck
Wreck Category : Non-dangerous wreck
State : LIVE
Classification : Unclassified
Position (Lat/long) : 56.59583,-6.47083
Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)
WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 56.59564,-6.47182
WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)
Position Quality : Approximate
Depth : 60.0
Depth Quality : Least depth unknown, safe clearance at value shown
Water Depth : 73
Water Level Effect : Always under water/submerged
Vertical Datum : Mean Low Water Springs
Name : HMS JASON
Type : TS TORPEDO GUN BOAT
Flag : BRITISH
Length : 70.1
Beam : 8.2
Draught : 4.0
Tonnage : 810
Tonnage Type : Displacement
Date Sunk : 03/04/1917
Bottom Texture : Rock
Contact Description : Entire wreck
Original Sensor : Reported Sinking
Last Sensor : Other
Original Detection Year : 1919
Last Detection Year : 1981
Original Source : Other
Last Source : Other
Circumstances of Loss : **BUILT IN 1892 BY VICKERS, BARROW IN FURNESS. AN 'ALARM' CLASS VESSEL. FOUR BOILERS, TWIN TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINES FOR 3500 NHP, TWIN SHAFT. MAX SPEED 18 KNOTS. 2 X 4.7 INCH GUNS & 3 TORPEDO TUBES. DESIGNED TO INTERCEPT NEW CLASSES OF DESTROYER BUT HAD INSUFFICIENT SPEED TO ACHIVE THIS, THUS WERE GENERALLY EMPLOYED AS MINESWEEPERS. THE GUNS WERE NORMALLY LANDED WHEN SO EMPLOYED. WAS SUNK BY MINE WHIST INVOLVED IN SWEEPING OPERATIONS NEAR COLL ISLAND. CREW OF 85 ALL LOST. REPORTED IN LOG OF ACCOMPANYING VESSEL 'HMS CIRCE' THAT JASON WAS MINED & SANK IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES. (SIBI & NHB).
Surveying Details : **H2480/19 22.3.19 WK IN 563300N, 062800W APPROX. (VA STORNOWAY). INS AS WK [OLD SYMBOL]. - NM 919/19.
**H6997/29 1.11.29 NOW CHARTED AS NDW PA.
**19.10.72 NOW CHARTED AS WK USC PA 10FMS.
**1.8.75 AMEND TO WK USC PA 18MTRS. NC 1778.
**H1270/81 24.2.81 REPORTED IN LOG OF ACCOMPANYING VESSEL 'HMS CIRCE' TO HAVE SUNK RAPIDLY IN 563545N, 062815W. (J BROWN, HEAD OF NHB, MEMO DTD 4.2.81). AMEND TO WK USC PA 60MTRS. BR STD.
Chart Symbol : WK USC PA 60.0
Date Last Amended : 10/03/1981
Note (17 February 2015)
Within the Episcopal Cathedral in Oban there is a war memorial to HMS Jason, a minesweeper sunk by a mine off the coast of Coll in 1917 with the loss of 25 men.
The wording on the memorial is as follows -
H.M.S. JASON was lost at 11.10 a.m. on the 3rd April 1917 off the island of Coll (latitude 56 35'N longitude 6 28' W) through striking a mine laid by the German submarine U.78 on the 11th February 1917.
The crew of the H.M.S. JASON at the time of her loss was 98; 73 officers and men were saved; 25 men were lost.
The war memorial comprises a lifebelt with HMS Jason written on it, with a photograph below of the ship sinking.
Information from Martin Briscoe and RCAHMS (AKK) 17 February 2015
Project (2017 - 2023)
SULA Diving and MV Clasina collaborated to locate and survey the wreck of HMS Jason, and to re-examine the circumstances surrounding its loss and provide new information to the Military of Defence (MOD) to help in the designation of the site as a War Grave under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. By making the report publicly available it is also hoped to increase public awareness of such events and serve as a reminder of those lost. As well as searching the archive, the project undertook side scan sonar and magnetometry surveys, a remote video and diving inspection of the wreck.
The project succeeded in locating a significant wreck site, approximately 2 nautical miles south east of Loch Eatharna, on the east side of Coll. There is little doubt that the remains at the site are those of HMS Jason. This conclusion is supported by evidence gathered during the course of survey work, which includes the following.
The location of the wreck site (56° 35.001’N, 006° 28.976’W) is approximately 1500m away from the position where HMS Jason sank, as detailed in the logbook of HMS Circe and used on the Admiralty chart for the area (No. 2171); there are no other recorded Royal Navy losses in the area.
The wreckage is approximately 60m in length and missing its bow. The length of HMS Jason was 74m.
Articles on the wreck site observed by divers include crockery with Royal Navy stamps, 2 guns (one fore and one aft) of similar calibre with matching munitions and twin engines with Yarrow boilers.
Other general features of the sites match closely with the layout of HMS Jason. The missing bow section is consistent with other incidents of this type (e.g. HMS Albacore, HMS Carnation). While the bow section was not seen during the dive, side scan images show a separate item of debris lying a short distance to the north of the main wreck site and any future dives on the site may which to investigate this.
The position of the wreck has been reported to the UK Hydrographic Office. The discovery was also reported to the Royal Navy by Lt Cdr Jen Smith, who was part of the Gasperados dive team that surveyed the wreck. This will trigger a process that may see the wreck designated under the Military Remains Act 1986.
Information from Kevin Heath (SULA Diving) 15 March 2023
Magnetometry (2021)
A magnetometer was undertaken in 2021, but due to time constraints, it was not possible to carry out a full survey of the area. Three magnetic anomalies were detected but it was not possible to confirm if those corresponded to the site where wreckage was subsequently found.
Information from Kevin Heath (SULA Diving) 15 March 2023
Diver Inspection (12 April 2022 - 13 April 2022)
A diving survey of the wreckage was carried out on the 12th and 13th April 2022 by the technical diving group ‘The Gasperados’. Two dives were carried out over the two-day period. Water depth (93m) limited bottom time to 24 minutes on each occasion, but the divers succeeded in locating the site and confirmed the presence of vessel wreckage, missing its bow section (One of the sonar images shows another smaller object lying to the north of the main wreck, which may be the bow section). Despite the short bottom time the divers were able to inspect the full length of the main wreck site over the two dives and recorded photographs and video during that short period.
Information from Kevin Heath (SULA Diving) 15 March 2023
Change Of Location (2022)
The location of HMS Jason was previous reported as Position (Lat/long) : 56.59583,-6.47083 Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936) WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 56.59564,-6.47182 WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW) (http://canmore.org.uk/event/937540).
Following detailed survey by SULA Diving, the location has been updated to 56° 35.001’N, 006° 28.976’W, with a water depth of 90m and approximately 1500m from the charted location for HMS Jason.(http://canmore.org.uk/event/1157585).
Information from Kevin Heath (SULA Diving) 15 March 2023
