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St Sunniva: Mousa, North Sea
Passenger Vessel (20th Century), Steamship (20th Century)
Site Name St Sunniva: Mousa, North Sea
Classification Passenger Vessel (20th Century), Steamship (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Muckle Bard; The Swarf; St Sunniva
Canmore ID 102938
Site Number HU42SE 8002
NGR HU 47037 23869
Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102938
- Council Shetland Islands
- Parish Dunrossness
- Former Region Shetland Islands Area
- Former District Shetland
- Former County Shetland
HU42SE 8002 4703 2386
N59 59.85 W1 9.4
NLO: Muckle Bard [name: HU 470 236]
Mousa [name centred HU 460 240].
See also HU42SE 8012.
Formerly entered as Site no. 8000 at cited location N59 59.85 W10: location also formerly cited as HU 4720 2257 [N59 59.15 W1 9.24].
St Sunniva: [max. date] 1930
883/337 tons, 235 ' long. Built of steel, Aberdeen. Brass still to be found
Archive Ref: Orcadian 10/5/1930 & 8/5/1930; SN 10/5/1930 special edition
Source: Shetland Archive Service [undated]
MS/3025, no. 979.
(No accurate location cited). The wreck of this vessel lies near the shore at the NE entrance to a sandy bay known as the Swarf. She lies broken in rock gullies which run N-S while an iron propellor lies at the end of a shallow gully running in towards the shore. Identifiable items in the main concentration comprise bollards, pieces of condensor, a winch, a large anchor with a broken stock, and a pile of chain.
(Illustration in text).
[Shetland Sub-Aqua Club] 1989.
Location cited as HU 468 234 [N59 59.85 W1 9.4]. It is described as a 'pleasant wreck dive in 20m' and the 'wreckage' is said to 'lie in a big gully' [suggesting this is a dispersed wreck, rather than coherent or intact].
G Ridley 1992.
Quality of fix = PA
Horizontal Datum = OGB
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The passenger steamer St SUNNIVA ran aground on the Island of Mousa and became a total loss whilst on voyage from Aberdeen to to Lerwick.
Source: R G Robertson in Ships Monthly June 1971.
The St SUNNIVA ran aground in thick fog near Mousa Brouch, Mousa Island.
Source: Nautical Magazine May 1994.
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
18 December 1985. The site was not found.
Report by Naval Party
Note: Nautical Magazine stated it to be a popular dive site.
Hydrographic office, 1995.
ST SUNNIVA, Passenger steamer, William Williamson, master. 883/337 tons, 235 ' long. Built of steel, at Aberdeen in 1887, clipper bow. Wrecked at Mousa, Sandwick, 595915 N 010924 W on 10 May 1930.
Archive Ref: 'Orcadian 10/5/1930 & 8/5/1930; SN 10/5/1930 special edition 17/4/1930 p. 5 col. 2-5 & /5/1930 p. 4 col. 4-5'
Source: Shetland Archive Service [1998].
(Classified as steel steamship: no cargo specified, but date of loss cited as 10 April 1930). St Sunniva: this vessel was wrecked on Mousa. Capt. Williamson.
Registration: Aberdeen. Built 1887. 861grt. Length: 70m. Beam: 9m.
(Location of loss cited as N59 59.85 W1 9.40).
I G Whittaker 1998.
Reference (1995)
Quality of fix = PA
Horizontal Datum = OGB
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The passenger steamer St SUNNIVA ran aground on the Island of Mousa and became a total loss whilst on voyage from Aberdeen to to Lerwick.
Source: R G Robertson in Ships Monthly June 1971.
The St SUNNIVA ran aground in thick fog near Mousa Brouch, Mousa Island.
Source: Nautical Magazine May 1994.
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
18 December 1985. The site was not found.
Report by Naval Party
Note: Nautical Magazine stated it to be a popular dive site.
Hydrographic office, 1995.
Reference (2011)
Whittaker ID : 315
Name : ST SUNNIVA
Latitude : 595951
Longitude : 10924
Date Built : 1887
Registration : ABERDEEN
Type : SS (STEEL)
Tonnage : 861
Tonnage Code : G
Length : 70
Beam : 9
Draught : 4m
Position : Position Approximate
Loss Day : 10
Loss Month : 4
Loss Year : 1930
Comment : Wrecked on Mousa. Capt. Williamson
Reference (19 April 2012)
UKHO Identifier : 000545
Feature Class : Wreck
State : DEAD
Classification : Unclassified
Position (Lat/long) : 59.99750,-1.15667
Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)
WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 59.99699,-1.15859
WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)
Position Quality : Unreliable
Depth Quality : Depth unknown
Water Depth : -1
Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide
Name : ST SUNNIVA
Type : SS
Length : 71.6
Beam : 9.1
Draught : 4.3
Tonnage : 861
Tonnage Type : Gross
Cargo : PAY CHEQUES AND MAIL
Date Sunk : 10/04/1930
Contact Description : Entire wreck
Original Sensor : Reported Sinking
Original Detection Year : 1930
Original Source : Other
Circumstances of Loss : **RAN AGROUND ON THE ISLAND OF MOUSA AND BECAME TOTAL LOSS WHILST ON VOYAGE ABERDEEN TO LERWICK. (SHIPS MONTHLY JUNE 1971).
Surveying Details : **HH2334/84 18.12.85 NOT FOUND. (NP 1008, HI 244).
**H2334/84 18.12.85 NO SIGN OF CONTACT DURING THOROUGH SONAR SEARCH OF VICINITY. (NP 1008, HI 244) AMENDED TO DEAD.
**NAUTICAL MAGAZINE 5/94 STATED TO BE POPULAR DIVE SITE.
Charting Comments : POSN FOR FILING ONLY
Date Last Amended : 09/03/2004
