Numidian: Kirk Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Craft (20th Century), Obstruction (Period Unassigned), Steamship (20th Century)
Site Name Numidian: Kirk Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Classification Craft (20th Century), Obstruction (Period Unassigned), Steamship (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Skaildaquay Point; Churchill Barrier No.1; Churchill Causeway; North Sea; Numidian
Canmore ID 102170
Site Number HY40SE 8009
NGR HY 48320 01119
Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102170
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Maritime - Orkney
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Maritime
- Former County Not Applicable
HY40SE 8009 4824 0117
N58 53.7083 W2 53.8917
NLO: St Mary's Bay [name: HY 477 005]
Stromness [name: HY 253 090]
Scapa Flow [name centred HY 36 00].
Formerly entered as Site no. 8706.
For adjacent and successor causeway (Churchill Barrier no. 1), see HY40SE 25.
For plan indicating the relative locations and orientations of blockships in this group, see Macdonald 1990, 125.
Horizontal Datum = OGB
Buoyage =
General water depth = 2
Orientation of keel/wreck = 228/048
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The NUMIDIAN was a steel single-screw steamship, built in 1891, and sunk as a blockship in Kirk Sound. It was salvaged in February 1924 by East Coast Salvage Co.
Source: Wrecks of Scapa Flow.
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
14 June 1920. A stranded wreck shown at 58 53 40N, 002 53 45W, or bearing 064 degs, 1020 metres from Skaildaquay Point.
18 October 1923. The stranded wreck reported at 064degs, 1186 metres from Skaildaquay Point gives a position of 58 53 42.5N, 002 53 53.5W.
Report by Kings Harbour Master, Scapa Flow.
The site is mentioned in salvage operations of the AORANGI at 58 53 26N, 002 51 42W.
14 March 1972. The wreck is stated to lie on a bearing of 338 degrees, 1036 metres from Lamb Holm trig station (61). The hull is full of stones and rocks. No superstructure remains. The top of the hull is never less than 1.2 metres below water and is strong enough to last many years. It lies with its keel on an orientation approximately 045/270 degrees to the east of Gambhira, but in the same line and parallel to the shore.
Report by Undermarine Operations, 5 March 1972.
18 August 1992. The vessel is now a complete jumble of wreckage. The hull is almost completely removed, but lies about 60 metres south of the NW side of the barrier. The main wreckage is made up of layers of collapsed plating, not having a recognisable ship's form. The stone blocks used to sink the blockships are also visible.
Source: Macdonald, 1990.
Hydrographic Office, 1995.
(Classified as steel steamship: no cargo specified, but date of loss cited as 30 December 1914). Numidian: this vessel was turned parallel to the shore [presumably in the same location] in 1923, after being scuttled as a blockship in 1914.
Registration: Glasgow. Built 1891. 4838grt. Length: 122m. Beam: 14m.
(location of loss cited as N58 53.70 W2 53.88).
I G Whittaker 1998.
Length: 400 ft (122m): date of sinking 30 December 1914.
'Ballasted. Very good condition and likely to last. Stern awash at H.W.' (Report dated 28 June 1915 and accompanying panoramic sketch dated 8 December 1915).
The accompanying panoramic drawing (of Kirk Sound, looking E from St Mary's Pier) depicts what appears to be essentially a flushed-decked cargo ship with a central superstructure and slightly raised fo'c'sle: no poop is apparent. The vessel is depicted from the port beam and as settling towards the stern; the masts and funnel remain erect.
The accompanying map depicts the vessel as lying with bows towards the NNW on the and at right-angles to the (mainland) shore, to which it very close. It is the most northerly blockship in the group.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 30 January 2004.
PRO [Kew] ADM116/2073A: dated 17 December 1919.
Kirk Sound is not noted as such on the 1998 edition of the OS 1:50,000 map. The name applies to the most northerly of the sounds on the E side of Scapa Flow, beteween Lamb Holm (to the S) and St Mary's village, Holm, Mainland (to the N). It is centred at HY 484 010, and is spanned by Churchill Barrier No. 1 (HY40SE 25).
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 21 March 2007.
Reference (2011)
Whittaker ID : 2567
Name : NUMIDIAN
Latitude : 585342
Longitude : 25353
Date Built : 1891
Registration : GLASGOW
Type : SS (STEEL)
Tonnage : 4838
Tonnage Code : G
Length : 122
Beam : 14
Draught : 7m
Position : Exact Position
Loss Day : 30
Loss Month : 12
Loss Year : 1914
Comment : Turned parallel to shore in 1923 after being scuttled as a blockship in 1914
Reference (19 April 2012)
UKHO Identifier : 001276
Feature Class : Obstn
State : LIVE
Classification : Unclassified
Position (Lat/long) : 58.89428,-2.89850
Horizontal Datum : ETRS 1989
WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.89428,-2.89850
WGS84 Origin : Original
Previous Position : 58.89513,-2.89820
Position Method : Differential Global Positioning System
Position Quality : Surveyed
Depth : 0.1
Depth Quality : Least depth known
Water Depth : 2
Water Level Effect : Always under water/submerged
Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide
Name : NUMIDIAN
Type : BLOCKSHIP
Flag : BRITISH
Orientation : 48.0
Tonnage : 4836
Tonnage Type : Gross
Date Sunk : 30/12/1914
Contact Description : Notable debris
Original Sensor : Reported Sinking
Original Detection Year : 1914
Original Source : Other
Circumstances of Loss : **BUILT IN 1891 BY D & W HENDERSON & CO, GLASGOW. FOUR BOILERS, TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINE, SINGLE SHAFT. SUNK AS A BLOCKSHIP IN KIRK SOUND. SALVAGED FEB '24 BY EAST COAST SALVAGE CO. (WKS OF SCAPA FLOW & SIBI).
Surveying Details : **H1752/20 14.6.20 STF SHOWN IN 585340N, 025345W, OR 064DEGS, 5.5C FROM SKAILDAQUAY PT, HEADING 337DEGS ON SURVEY [C8009]. INS STF, HEADING 337DEGS, 064DEGS, 5.5CABLES FROM SKAILDAQUAY PT. BR STD.
**H5550/23 18.10.23 STF, HEADING 228DEGS, 064DEGS, 6.4C FROM SKAILDAQUAY PT. (KHM SCAPA FLOW). GIVES POSN 585342.5N, 025353.5W. AMEND STF TO HEADING 228DEGS, 064DEGS, 6.4C FROM SKAILDAQUAY PT ON 3729, & INS LEGEND 'CHANNEL PARTLY BLOCKED' AT W END OF KIRK SOUND ON 2180. - NM 1647/23.
**H7308/56 13.5.59 INS CAUTION NOTE ON 35. - NM 1924/58.
**H2496/72 14.3.72 STATED TO LIE 338DEGS, 3400FT FROM LAMB HOLM TRIG STN (61). HULL FULL OF STONES AND ROCKS. NO SUPERSTRUCTURE. TOP OF HULL NEVER LESS THAN 4FT BELOW WATER & STRONG ENOUGH TO LAST MANY YEARS. LIES APPROX E/W TO E OF GAMBHIRA, BUT IN SAME LINE PARALLEL TO THE SHORE. (UNDERMARINE OPERATIONS, 5.3.72). INS DWP ON 35. BR STD.
**18.8.92 NOW A COMPLETE JUMBLE OF WRECKAGE. HULL ALMOST COMPLETELY REMOVED. LIES ABOUT 60MTRS S OF NW SIDE OF BARRIER. WRECKAGE COVERED IN KELP. BETWEEN BARRIER & WK ARE HUGE 12MTR LONG CYLINDRICAL SHEER LEGS OF THE BLOCK-LIFTING MECHANISM, WHICH WAS USED TO LIFT THE CONCRETE BLOCKS OF THE BARRIER INTO PLACE, AND WERE DUMPED AFTER USE. MAIN WRECKAGE IS MADE UP OF LAYERS OF COLLAPSED PLATING LYING AROUND ON THE SEABED, & NOT HAVING A RECOGNISABLE SHIP'S FORM. THE STONE BLOCKS USED TO SINK THE BLOCKSHIPS ARE VISIBLE. MANY LARGE GIRDERS & SPARS JUT UP FROM WRECKAGE & ARE COVERED IN MARINE GROWTH. (DIVE SCAPA FLOW - R. MACDONALD, 1990).
POSITIONS BELOW THIS POINT ARE IN DEGREES, MINUTES AND DECIMALS OF A MINUTE
**4.2.05 COVERED BY LEGEND: 'OBSTNS - SEE NOTE'. SEE [1273].
**5.10.10 EXAM'D IN 5853.6569N, 0253.9079W [WGD] USING DGPS. LEAST M/B DEPTH 0.17MTR. (FATHOMS LTD, POST SDC BATHY REPROCESSING). LIES 100/280 DEGS. LENGTH APPROX 100MTRS, WIDTH 15MTRS. SMALLER PORTION APPARENTLY LIES CLOSE ESE. AMEND OBSTN 0.1MTRS IN REVISED POSN. BR STD.
Chart Symbol : OB 0.1
Date Last Amended : 07/10/2010
Date Position Last Amended : 05/10/2010
Reference (March 2012)
Sitename : Numidian: Kirk Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Source :
Scapa Flow East in WGS1984 at 2m resolution Bathymetry Id 2010-27833_ScapaFlowArea2a_2m_SB_WGS84.bag,Fathoms Ltd,2010
Project (2013 - 2014)
The Scapa Flow 2013 Marine Archaeology Survey Project, commissioned by Historic Scotland, undertook remote sensing surveys and archaeological diving evaluations at some of the sites within Scapa Flow, Orkney and at the Churchill Barriers.
The project aimed to establish or confirm the identification, extent of survival, character and condition of around 28 known but mostly poorly recorded First and Second World War wreck sites, 8 salvage sites, several sites thought to be associated with Second World War Boom Defences, and a limited sample of geophysical features identified in previous studies (Project Adair).
The work built on that of previous surveys including those completed as part of the ScapaMap Project (2001 and 2006) and by Wessex Archaeology Scapa Flow Wrecks Survey (2012), amongst others.
The project was completed by ORCA Marine and SULA Diving
Diver Inspection (2013)
58 53.657 N 2 53.910 W The remains lie on a rock and mud bottom in 3m of water and are moderately covered with short animal turf. The remains can be affected by slight swell but are generally sheltered from tide.
As noted from the side scan sonar survey the remains are well broken down with numerous steel ribs and hull plating sections, most of which are flush to or standing no more than a metre off the seabed. At the stern end (to the east of the remains) there are several wire hawses but there is no evidence of either a propeller or a propeller shaft.
There are many short sections of steel piping and rock amongst the debris, possibly in the aft hold. These are interpreted as the remains of ballast material. Midships there is a portion of a ladder and some modern rope and chain sections. There are various bits of machinery and structural remains (cogs and gears, engine room walkway gratings) in the area of the engine room. It is possible that some of the engine is still present as there is a substantial feature in the wreckage, but this
could not be confirmed. The boilers appear to have been removed.
Towards the bow there are some more substantial sections of wreckage where the shape of the hull is more clearly defined. There were more piping and ballast remains in this area, likely the location of the forward hold. A mast section was observed collapsed to the port side. The lowest part of the bow is comparatively well preserved and there is another section of ladder in the associated debris. Some lengths of line and an abandoned creel were noted.
Analysis
Historical documents and images confirm that these are the remains of the SS Numidan. The remains have broken down within the vessel’s original dimensions (122m long by 11m beam).
The ADM report (X96-2) confirms that the vessel was ballasted before being scuttled, supporting the interpretation that the pipes and rocks in the hold areas are evidence of ballast.
Built in 1891 by D. & W. Henderson & Co. Ltd. in Meadowside, Glasgow, the SS Numidian was a British steel steamship used originally as an Allan Line Trans-Atlantic passenger ship, able to carry 1180 passengers. The SS Numidian was sold to the Admiralty in 1914 and was scuttled in Kirk Sound on 30th December 1914 for use as a Blockship. The wreck was originally positioned perpendicular to Holm Shore.
The channel was reopened after World War I, and in 1923 the extensively salvaged remains of the SS Numidian were turned to the current position of the remains lying parallel to Holm Shore with the stern towards what is now Churchill Barrier 1.
Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014
Side Scan Sonar Survey (2013)
58 53.657 N 2 53.910 W The site was assessed by side scan surveys using a pole-mounted towfish and diver ground-truthed. The side scan images show a broken-down contact in shallow water, measuring 115m long by 12m beam. The remains are oriented east to west with the bow to the west, parallel to the shore, approximately 7m away from Churchill Barrier 1. It is not possible to determine how proud the vessel stands off the seabed from the images as the water depth is too shallow; however, at present no portion of the wreck is visible above water in any state of the tide.
Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014
