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Hms Narborough: Cletts Of Clura, Wind Wick, South Ronaldsay, North Sea

Destroyer (20th Century)

Site Name Hms Narborough: Cletts Of Clura, Wind Wick, South Ronaldsay, North Sea

Classification Destroyer (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Hms Narbrough; Hesta Head; Hesta Rock; Linklater; Windwick; Orkney; Hms Narborough

Canmore ID 102215

Site Number ND48NE 8001

NGR ND 46221 87355

Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102215

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Administrative Areas

  • Council Orkney Islands
  • Parish Maritime - Orkney
  • Former Region Orkney Islands Area
  • Former District Maritime
  • Former County Not Applicable

Archaeology Notes

ND48NE 8001 4578 8736

N58 46.25 W2 55.8

NLO: Hesta Rock [name: ND 465 877]

Clett or Crura [name: ND 462 874]

Windwick [name: ND 459 866]

Wind Wick [name centred ND 461 871]

Linklater [name: ND 457 871].

See also ND48NE 8002.

Horizontal Datum = OGB

General water depth = 8

Orientation of keel/wreck = NS

Circumstances of Loss Details

-----------------------------

The M Class Destroyer HMS NARBOROUGH was wrecked in a violent gale and snow storm, together with HMS OPAL.

Source: Ships of the Royal Navy by College

Surveying Details

-----------------------------

The wreck's position is given as 58 46 15N, 002 55 48W (HMS OPAL is in the same position) at Clett of Clura, Windwick. (authority not stated)

7 July 1923. An offer to purchase the wrecks has been turned down.

22 February 1926. A further offer to purchase the wreck has been received.

24 March 1926. Both wrecks are lying close under the cliffs, heading in a northerly direction about 73 metres from each other. The northern vessel is a mass of broken iron work on a ledge of rock. The southern vessel less broken and in deeper water. No mast or funnels are showing and both are almost entirely submerged at high water. The position given is 58 46 15N, 002 55 48W.

1926. A further offer to purchase has been refused.

24 June 1932. A further proposal to salvage the wreck has been made by Mr Sutherland.

21 September 1936. The wrecks are now owned by Messrs Southerland and Mawat.

7 August 1986. The northerly area of the wreck site was dived. There is much scattered wreckage, and 3 inch shell cases well battered and eroded by tidal action litter the seabed. There is no danger to navigation. The general depth is 11 metres with a rocky bottom sloping seawards.

Report by B Winfield, 26 July 1986.

Hydrographic Office, 1995.

(Classified as destroyer: date of loss cited as 12 January 1918). HMS Narborough: this vessel stranded in storm below cliffs about 80yds from HMS Opal (ND48NE 8002).

Registration: London. Built 1916. 994 tons displacement. Length: 83m Beam: 8m.

(Location of loss cited as N58 46.25 W2 55.8).

I G Whittaker 1998.

[No location of loss cited]. Together with HMS Opal [ND48NE 8002], this vessel was lost while carrying out a Dark Night Patrol (DNP) in very poor weather against the threat of intrusion by fast surface minelayers, in this case in company with the light cruiser HMS Boadicea. HMS Narborough was under the command of Lt E M Bowly RN, while HMS Opal was the senior ship of the two destroyers.

A survivor (from HMS Opal) reported that HMS Narborough stranded behind HMS Opal, went over on her side, and broke up even more quickly than her sister ship. He saw nothing more of her.

The wrecks were of both ships were found to be submerged to the tops of their torpedo tubes, but everything above deck had been flattened. Bodies were seen in the wrecks, but it remains unclear whether or not they were recovered.

Both wrecks were sold for scrap in the 1930’s.

Source: PRO [Kew] File Adm. 137/3726].

K D McBride 1999.

Length: 271-6 ft (82.6 - 84.1m)

Beam: 26ft 9ins (8.2m)

Displacement: 994-1022 tons

Propulsion: steam turbines, three screws, 25,000 hp, 34 kts.

Guns: 3 x 4 ins (102mm); 1 x 2 pdr

Torpedo tubes: 2 x twin 21 in (533mm)

Complement: 80/98

This 'Admiralty' M-class destroyer was built on the Clyde by John Brown as part of the Emergency War Programme. She was completed in 1916 and wrecked off Scapa in 1918.

The cited location of loss falls within a prominent bay on the E side of South Ronaldsay. There is a charted wreck (with masts only visible above chart datum) at N58 46.27 W2 55.8 (ND 4622 8739).

(Individual units within this class vary in dimensions, complement and displacement: the 'Admiralty' variant was distinguished by having three small round funnels).

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 16 December 2002.

H M Le Fleming 1961; [Jane] 2001.

HO chart no. 2581 (1982, revised to 1997).

Plans (but not photographs) of this vessel are held in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

Information from Ms G Fabri (NMM), 7 November 2003.

Activities

Note (12 August 2011)

There is a memorial dedicated to HMS Narborough and HMS Opal overlooking Windwick Bay at ND 45734 86931.

Information from RCAHMS (LMcC) 12 August 2011

Reference (2011)

Whittaker ID : 627

Name : HMS NARBROUGH

Latitude : 584615

Longitude : 25548

Date Built : 1916

Registration : LONDON

Type : DESTROYER

Tonnage : 994

Tonnage Code : D

Length : 83

Beam : 8

Position : Exact Position

Loss Day : 12

Loss Month : 1

Loss Year : 1918

Comment : Stranded in storm below cliffs approx 80 yds from 'HMS OPAL'

Reference (19 April 2012)

UKHO Identifier : 001232

Feature Class : Wreck

Wreck Category : Non-dangerous wreck

State : LIVE

Classification : Unclassified

Position (Lat/long) : 58.77083,-2.93000

Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)

WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.77043,-2.93160

WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)

Previous Position : 58.77083,-2.93000

Position Quality : Precisely known

Depth Quality : Depth unknown

Water Depth : 8

Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide

Name : HMS NARBOROUGH

Type : DESTROYER

Flag : BRITISH

Length : 82.6

Beam : 8.2

Orientation : 0.0

Tonnage : 994

Tonnage Type : Displacement

Date Sunk : 12/01/1918

Contact Description : Notable debris

Original Sensor : Reported Sinking

Last Sensor : Diver Sighting

Original Detection Year : 1919

Last Detection Year : 1986

Original Source : Unknown

Last Source : Divers

Circumstances of Loss : **AN M CLASS DESTROYER. BUILT IN 1916 BY J BROWN, CLYDEBANK. THREE BOILERS, S TURBINES OF 25000NP, TWIN SHAFT. PASSAGE FROM EAST COAST WAR PATROL. WRECKED IN A VIOLENT GALE AND SNOW STORM, TOGETHER WITH HMS OPAL. ONE MAN SURVIVED FROM BOTH SHIPS.

Surveying Details : **POSN 584615N, 025548W. OPAL IN SAME POSN AT CLETT OF CLURA, WINDWICK. (AUTHORITY NOT STATED)

**H1939/26 24.3.26 WRECKS LYING CLOSE UNDER CLIFFS, HEADING IN NORTHERLY DIRECTION ABOUT 80YDS FROM EACH OTHER. NORTHERN VESSEL A MASS OF BROKEN IRON WORK ON LEDGE OF ROCK. SOUTHERN VESSEL LESS BROKEN & IN DEEPER WATER. NO MAST OR FUNNELS SHOWING & BOTH ALMOST ENTIRELY SUBMERGED AT HW. POSN 584615N, 025548W. (EXTRACT FROM N.L. 4432/18(X3003/18)). INS AS 2 DW (1918). BR STD.

**C.P. 26977/36 21.9.36 WRECKS NOW OWNED BY MESSRS SOUTHERLAND AND MAWAT.

**H5465/58 5.3.58 AMEND TO DW. NC 2162.

**H1310/86/20 7.8.86 NORTHERLY AREA OF WK SITE DIVED. MUCH SCATTERED WRECKAGE AND 3 INCH SHELL CASES, WELL BATTERED AND ERODED BY TIDAL ACTION, LITTER THE SEABED. NO DANGER TO NAVIGATION. GEN DEPTH 11MTRS - ROCKY BOTTOM SLOPING SEAWARDS. (B. WINFIELD, 26.7.86). AMEND TO NDW. BR STD.

General Comments : AREA OF BROKEN UP WRECKAGE

Chart Symbol : NDW

Date Last Amended : 18/11/2003

Date Position Last Amended : 29/07/1985

References

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