Sms S54 [secondary Location]: Quoy Ness, Flotta, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Destroyer (20th Century), Motor Torpedo Boat
Site Name Sms S54 [secondary Location]: Quoy Ness, Flotta, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Classification Destroyer (20th Century), Motor Torpedo Boat
Alternative Name(s) S-54; S54; S 54
Canmore ID 102996
Site Number ND39SE 8003
NGR ND 37774 93636
Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102996
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Maritime - Orkney
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Maritime
- Former County Not Applicable
ND39SE 8003 3777 9363
N58 49.5667 W3 4.6667
NLO: Quoy Ness [name: ND 379 944]
Flotta [name: ND 37 94]
Fara [name: ND 329 959]
Stranger Head [name: HY 377 923]
Sound of Hoxa [name centred ND 390 930]
Stromness [name: HY 253 090]
Gutter Sound [name centred ND 316 968]
Scapa Flow [name centred HY 36 00].
For other ships within this group, see:
ND39NW 8009 V129 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8011 S136 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8012 G92 (destroyer: probable secondary location)
ND39NW 8016 S52 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8018 V70 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8019 S53 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8020 G89 (destroyer: possible secondary location)
ND39NW 8021 S55 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8022 G91 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8023 S36 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8024 S32 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8026 G86 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8027 G39 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8028 G35 (destroyer: identity uncertain)
ND39NW 8029 S138 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8030 S53 (destroyer: identity uncertain and possible secondary location)
ND39NW 8031 G40 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8032 B110 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8033 B112 (destroyer: possible secondary location)
ND39NW 8034 B109 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8036 G104 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8037 G101 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8038 V83 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39NW 8044 G103 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8053 B109 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39NW 8055 S56 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8057 G38 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8058 H145 (destroyer: possible secondary location)
ND39NW 8059 B111 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8062 V127 (destroyer: possible secondary location)
ND39NW 8063 V126 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39NW 8064 V125 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39NW 8065 V82 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39NW 8066 V81 (destroyer: initial location)
ND39NW 8068 V43 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8069 V100 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8070 V73 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8071 V80 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8072 S60 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8073 S51 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8074 S137 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8075 V128 (destroyer: doubtful location)
ND39NW 8076 V78 (destroyer: probable secondary location)
ND39NW 8077 S65 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8078 V46 (destroyer)
ND39NW 8079 V44 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39NW 8082 G102 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39NW 8083 S132 (destroyer: secondary location)
ND39SW 8002 V45 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)
ND39SW 8005 S131 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)
ND39SW 8012 S50 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)
ND39SW 8013 S49 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)
(All the above locations are apparently primary unless otherwise specified).
For general plans of High Seas Fleet (Internment Formation) wrecks in Scapa Flow, see Van der Vat 1986 (endpapers), Smith 1989, 4, Macdonald 1998, 19 and George 1999, 35.
SMS S54: no. III flotilla (leader), with S53, S55, G91, V70, V73, V81 and V82.
D Van der Vat 1986.
Raised by Cox and Danks, 1924; subsequently foundered [at unstated location].
P L Smith 1989.
Attributed to No. 3 Flotilla.
G Ridley 1992.
Quality of fix = CR
Horizontal Datum = OGB
General water depth = 14
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The torpedo boat destroyer S54 was built in 1916. It was scuttled at Scapa Flow in 1919, was raised but foundered again.
Source: Warships of World War I.
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
23 February 1920. The vessel is completely submerged at a position bearing 007 degrees, 1250 metres from Stanger Head Flagstaff.
Source: Rosyth weekly intelligence report no.6.
1926. Weather conditions not suitable to locate wreck and a further attempt will be made.
29 September 1927. A dangerous wreck lies at a position bearing 057.5 degrees, 667 metres from Kingsley Tower Hill.
Report by Kings Harbour Master, Scapa Flow.
29 December 1927. S54 has been sold to Messrs Cox & Danks.
1928. A salvage report has been received, the wreck has not yet been touched.
2 October 1931. An attempt to raise has been made.
Hydrographic Office, 1995.
(CLassified as Torpedo Boat Destroyer: date of loss cited as 12 February 1920). [SMS] S 54: this vessel was scuttled in Scapa Flow 1919, salvaged and lost on tow to breakers.
Registration: German. 902 tons displacement. Length: 82m. Beam: 8m.
(Location of loss cited as N58 49.57 W3 4.67).
I G Whittaker 1998.
Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):
A2106 'nuts and bolts'
A2452 1 valve, 1 gauge: from seabed.
[Presumably from secondary location, although this is not stipulated].
NMRS, MS/829/35.
This ship was probably scuttled (with the other destroyers) in Gutter Sound. She was probably salvaged soon afterwards, but sank again E of Flotta on 12 February 1920. No comprehensive underwater survey is apparently available for this vessel.
Stranger Head [name centred ND 372 947] forms the SE point of Flotta.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 8 November 2002.
R and B Larn 1998; I G Whittaker 1998.
Length: 272ft 8ins (83.1m)
Beam: 27ft 6ins (8.4m)
Displacement: 919/1170 tons
Propulsion: steam turbines; 2 propellers; 24,000/25,000 hp; 35/36 kts
Armament: 3 x 86mm (3.4in) guns; 6 x 60cm (19.7in) torpedo tubes; 24 mines
Complement: 85/100
SMS S54. This ship was built by Schichau at Elbing, launched on 11 October 1915 and completed in 1916 as the second unit of the fourteen-strong S53 class. She was raised in 1921 but subsequently foundered. [George cites this vessel as being raised by Cox and Danks on 5 June 1925].
The cited location of this vessel is evidently secondary, and falls within a bay (unnamed on the OS 1:10,000 map) on the SE side of Hoxa and on the W side of the Sound of Hoxa.
This ship may be considered as falling within the Fara/Rysa (Gutter Sound) group of destroyers and torpedo craft, which were scuttled within the area of Gutter Sound [name centred ND 316 968]. This area of water may be understood as a narrow sheltered passage between the islands of Hoy, Fara and Rysa Little, to the W of the broad expanse of Scapa Flow. It has a level seabed at a charted depth of between 13 and 16m; the seabed type is indicated sparingly but is apparently a mixture of gravel, shingle and sand. Apart from the specifically-indicated wrecks, extensive areas of foul and spoil ground and numerous obstructions attest to the former presence of the High Seas Fleet. Wrecks (Wk or Wks) are noted at N58 50.3 W3 11.3 [ND 314 951], N58 50.75 [ND 310 959] and around N58 50.7 W3 11.5 [HY 312 958], the latter annotation having a buoy immediately to the W. Areas of foul ground are charted around N58 49.7 W3 10.5 [ND 321 939], N58 50.05 W3 10.9 [ND 317 946] and N58 51.l3 W3 10.7 [ND 320 969].
The recorded identical locations for ships in this group may reflect their being moored in trots.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 6 June 2003.
H M Le Fleming 1961; D Van der Vat 1986; S C George 1999; [Jane] 2001.
HO chart no. 35 (1980, revised 1991).
Multi Beam Sonar Scan (6 December 2011 - 10 December 2011)
UTM 30 N (WGS 84) X: 495440.1 Y: 6520767. Multibeam sonar data records the probable remains of SMS S54 lying roughly parallel to the shore on the east side of Flotta on a relatively level plateau where the rocky shore meets a sandy seabed (depths range from 10.5 m to 13.7m). The observed length of the remains is 47.3m with a maximum width of 8m. The remains are well broken up and it is difficult to determine which end of the site is which although the possible identification in the sonar data of features which may be the turbine and propeller shaft might suggest that the north end of the wreck is the vessel’s stern. A debris field immediately around the wreck extends 16m to the north-east and 14.6m to the south-east but without clearly identifiable features. Further debris extends around 145m down slope to the south-east but it is unconfirmed if this material originates from S54.
Information from Wessex Archaeology 2012
Reference (2011)
Whittaker ID : 1147
Name : S 54
Latitude : 584934
Longitude : 30440
Registration : GERMAN
Type : TORP. BOAT DESTROYER
Tonnage : 902
Tonnage Code : D
Length : 82
Beam : 8
Position : Exact Position
Loss Day : 12
Loss Month : 2
Loss Year : 1920
Comment : Scuttled in Scapa Flow 1919, salvaged and lost on tow to breakers
Reference (19 April 2012)
UKHO Identifier : 000978
Feature Class : Wreck
Wreck Category : Dangerous wreck
State : LIVE
Classification : Unclassified
Position (Lat/long) : 58.82611,-3.07778
Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)
WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.82569,-3.07937
WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)
Position Method : Compass Bearing and Radar Range
Position Quality : Precisely known
Depth Quality : Depth unknown
Water Depth : 14
Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide
Name : S54
Type : TORPEDO BOAT DESTROYER
Flag : GERMAN
Length : 82.9
Beam : 8.2
Tonnage : 1170
Tonnage Type : Displacement
Date Sunk : 12/02/1920
Contact Description : Entire wreck
Original Sensor : Reported Sinking
Original Detection Year : 1920
Original Source : Other
Circumstances of Loss : **BUILT IN 1916 BY SCHICHAU ELBING. WAS SCUTTLED AT SCAPA FLOW IN 1919. RAISED BUT DROVE ASHORE WHILE BEING TAKEN AWAY FOR BREAKING. LATER DEMOLISHED BY EXPLOSIVES.
Surveying Details : **H1369/20 23.2.20 VESSEL IS COMPLETELY SUBMERGED 007DEGS, 6.75C FROM STANGER HEAD FLAG STAFF. (ROSYTH WEEKLY INTELLIGENCE REPORT NO 6). INS AS DW IN 584939N, 030440W. BR STD.
**1H143/26 CP 17453/26 STATES WEATHER CONDITIONS NOT SUITABLE TO LOCATE WK & FURTHER ATTEMPT WILL BE MADE.
**H2807/26 29.9.27 DW LIES 057.5DEGS, 3.6C FROM KINGSLEY TR HILL. (KHM, SCAPA FLOW). AMEND POSN. - NM 1805/27.
**H2807/26 29.12.27 S.54 HAS BEEN SOLD TO MESSRS COX & DANKS.
**CP17774/28 SALVAGE REPORT.
**CP22830/28 NOT YET TOUCHED.
**2.10.31 ATTEMPT TO RAISE.
Chart Symbol : DW
Date Last Amended : 29/07/1985
Multi Beam Sonar Scan (January 2017 - November 2017)
Multibeam sonar survey (January 2017) recorded remains of S54 located up against a rocky slope with an average depth of around 13m. The bow of the wreck points to the southwest. The wreck itself is broken into pieces and mostly flattened. Two sets of boilers were readily identifiable.
I.McCartney 2019
Diver Inspection (November 2017)
The wreck of S54 was dived in November 2017 to inspect features identified by multibeam sonar survey (January 2017). Both turbine housings are present but appear to be situated where one would normally expect to find the condensers (not present on the site). The foremost turbine is still equipped with its propeller shaft. The midsection of the wreck is dominated by the remains of the three boilers, situated in separate compartments. The boilers have collapsed as the outer structures and water tubes have corroded. Of particular interest was the forward boiler which appears to be lying on its side, with, unusually, the port-side water trap visible along with a downcomer pipe for recirculating cooler water to the trap. This is a signature feature of the Schulz-Thorneycroft boiler type installed in most units of the High Seas Fleet.
I.McCartney
