Caithnesshire: Keiss Harbour, North Sea

ND36SE 8008 c. 351 609

N58 31.9 W3 6.9

NLO: Keiss [name: ND 347 612]

Keiss Castle [name: ND 356 617]

Sinclair's Bay [name centred ND 37 56]

Ackergill Links [name centred ND 342 565]

Ackergill Tower [name: ND 3528 5466]

Ackergillshore [name: ND 358 544].

25 October 1883, CAITHNESSHIRE, 25 yrs old, of Wick, wooden schooner, 79 tons, 5 crew, Master W. Simpson, Owner G. Alexander, Castlehill, Caithness, departed Sunderland for Castlehill, Caithness, carrying coal, wind W11, stranded, total loss, Ackergill Bay, Caithness.

Source: PP Abstracts Returns of Wrecks and Casualties on Coasts of the UK 1883-84 (1884-85 [C.4493] LXX.421).

CAITHNESS-SHIRE. Wick, Oct. 25, 4 55 p.m. The schooner reported to-day ashore at Keiss, is the CAITHNESS-SHIRE, laden with coals, for Castlehill. Crew saved by a shore boat. Vessel likely to be a total wreck.

Source: Casualties &c., LL, No. 21,681, London, Friday, October 26 1883.

CAITHNESS-SHIRE. Wick, Oct. 26, 2 52 p.m. The CAITHNESS-SHIRE, previously reported, may be got off, if the weather keeps good.

Source: Casualties &c., LL, No. 21,682, London, Saturday, October 27 1883.

CAITHNESS-SHIRE. Wick, Nov. 2. The hull and cargo of coals of the CAITHNESS-SHIRE were sold yesterday for £40 and the salved portion of rigging, and spars and sails for about £50.

Source: LL, No. 21,690, London, Tuesday, November 6 1883.

NMRS, MS/829/69 (no. 3423).

(Classified as wooden schooner, with cargo of coal: date of loss cited as 25 October 1883). Caithnesshire: this vessel stranded in Ackergill Bay, just N of Keiss harbour. Capt. Simpson.

Registration: Wick. Built 1858. 79 tons register.

(Location of loss cited as N58 32.0 W3 7.0).

I G Whittaker 1998.

The location assigned to this record is essentially tentative. Ackergill Bay is not noted as such on the 1999 edition of the OS 1:50,000 map, but may be equated with Sinclair's Bay. Keiss harbour (ND36SE 27.00) is at ND 3513 6091.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 27 September 2002.