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Naja: Water Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Concrete Barge (20th Century), Craft (20th Century)
Site Name Naja: Water Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Classification Concrete Barge (20th Century), Craft (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Nana; Majda; Churchill Causeway; Churchill Barrier No. 4; North Sea; Naja (Part Of); Majda (Naja ?)
Canmore ID 102352
Site Number ND49NE 8008
NGR ND 48070 95189
Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102352
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Maritime - Orkney
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Maritime
- Former County Not Applicable
ND49NE 8008 4807 9519
N58 50.485 W2 53.99
NLO: Water Sound [name centred ND 460 950]
Stromness [name: HY 253 090]
Scapa Flow [name centred HY 36 00].
See also ND49NE 8048.
Formerly entered as Site no. 8897.
For adjacent (and successor) Churchill Barrier No. 4, see ND49NE 17.
For other blockships in this group, see ND49NE 8002-7, 8009 and 8022, and ND49SE 8001.
For plan indicating the relative locations and orientations of blockships in this group, see Macdonald 1990, 125.
Quality of fix = PHOT
Horizontal Datum = OGB
General water depth = 2
Orientation of keel/wreck = 027/207
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
This concrete barge, was sunk as a blockship immediately north of the CLIO. The vessel's name is given as NAJA.
Source: Fergsuon 1985
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
14 March 1972. The wreck's position is given as 58 50 26.5N, 002 54 07W, or bearing 196 degrees, 640 metres from the spot height (107) on Burray. All that remains is a large quantity of rubble and an upright piece, which could be bows. All the large items have been removed.
Report by Undermarine Operations, 5 March 1972.
9 March 1976. A portion of wreck, possibly the bows, is exposed above the level of mean low water at 58 50 29.1N, 002 53 59.4W. The wreck is approximately 35 metres long with its keel orientated 027.5/207.5 degrees.
Source: Ordnance Survey aerial photography dated 16 May 1973.
29 September 1977.
See the stranded wreck at 58 57 51.1N, 002 54 40.5W.
Hydrographic Office, 1995.
(Classified as concrete barge: date of loss cited as 2 March 1939). Majda (Naja?): this vessel was scuttled in Water Sound. Registration: British.
(Location of loss cited as N58 50.47 W2 54.03).
I G Whittaker 1998.
It remains unclear whether or not this loss is to be equated with that of the Nana (also within Water Sound), for which see ND49NE 8048.
Water Sound is the most southerly of the four sounds that pierce the Eastern side of Scapa Flow. It formerly separated the islands of Burray (to the N) and South Ronaldsay (to the S), but is now crossed by Churchill Barrier No. 4 (ND49NE 17), which blocks it near the E (North Sea) end.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 2 April 2007.
Desk Based Assessment (August 1997)
Throughout the two World Wars Scapa Flow served as the base of the British Home Fleet. Access to these waters was guarded by a series of coastal batteries, booms and blockships. The blockships comprised old and damaged vessels which were deliberately sunk in position so as to form a submarine obstacle to deter enemy incursions. By 1943, the completion of the Churchill barriers, which cut off the eastern approaches to Scapa Flow, rendered the blockships obsolete. After 1945 some of the blockships were dispersed by explosive to clear the shipping lanes while many others were salvaged for parts and metal. The wrecks of several blockships remain on the sea bed and in the inter tidal zone.
(i) The Pontos (ND 49 NE 8002), a 3, 265 ton steel single-screw steamer was built in Glasgow in 1891. She was sunk in 1914 and now rests c.12m offshore to the SE of Water Sound.
(ii) The Clio (ND 49 NE 8006), a 2,733 ton steel single-screw steamer was built in Hartlepool in 1889. She was sunk in 1914 and is visible to the centre of Water Sound at low tide.
(iii) The Lorne (ND 49 NE 8008), a 1,186 ton single-screw steamer was built in Hull in 1873 and sunk in 1915. The wreck was later dispersed by explosives and only fragments now survive.
(iv) The Naja (ND 49 NE 8008), a concrete barge, was sunk in 1939 and lies to the centre of Water Sound.
(v) The Carron (ND 49 NE 8004), a 1, 017 ton single-screw steel steamer, was built in Dundee in 1894. She was sunk as a blockship in 1940 and now lies, partially buried under sand, to the NE side of Churchill Barrier #4.
(vi) The Juniata (ND 49 NE 8022), a twin-screw steel motor tanker, was built in Sunderland in 1918. Sunk in 1940, she now lies to the NE side of Churchill Barrier #4.
(vii) The Gondolier (ND 49 SE 8001) was a 173 ton paddle steamer built in Glasgow in 1866. Sunk in 1940, she now lies on the SE side of the barrier.
(viii) The Collingdoc (ND 49 NE 8005), a 1,1780 ton steel single-screw steamer was built in 1925 in Hill-on-Tees. She was sunk in 1942 and lies partially buried under the sand to the SE end of the barrier.
(ix) Unidentified wreckage (ND 49 NE 8003) stands above HWM.
Reference (2011)
Whittaker ID : 2533
Name : MAJDA (NAJA ?)
Latitude : 585028
Longitude : 25402
Registration : BRITISH
Type : (BARGE)
Position : Exact Position
Loss Day : 2
Loss Month : 3
Loss Year : 1939
Comment : Concrete barge sunk in Water Snd
Reference (19 April 2012)
UKHO Identifier : 001251
Feature Class : Wreck
Wreck Category : Wreck showing any portion of hull or superstructure
State : LIVE
Classification : Unclassified
Position (Lat/long) : 58.84142,-2.89983
Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)
WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.84100,-2.90145
WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)
Position Method : Air photography
Position Quality : Precisely known
Depth Quality : Depth unknown
Water Depth : 2
Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide
Name : NAJA (PART OF)
Type : BLOCKSHIP
Flag : BRITISH
Orientation : 27.0
Date Sunk : 02/03/1939
Contact Description : Notable debris
Original Sensor : None reported
Last Sensor : Video Sensor
Original Detection Year : 1972
Last Detection Year : 1973
Original Source : Other
Last Source : Other
Circumstances of Loss : **CONCRETE BARGE, FORMERLY OWNED BY J ANDERSON, STROMNESS. WAS SUNK A S A BLOCKSHIP IMMEDIATELY N OF CLIO. NAME GIVEN AS NAJA. (WKS OF SCAPA FLOW).
Surveying Details : **H2496/72 14.3.72 POSN 585026.5N, 025407W, OR 196DEG, 2100FT FROM SPOT HEIGHT (107) ON BURRAY. LARGE QUANTITY OF RUBBLE AND UPRIGHT PIECE, WHICH COULD BE BOWS. ALL LARGE ITEMS HAVE BEEN REMOVED. (UNDERMARINE OPERATIONS, 5.3.72). INS AS DWP. BR STD.
**H1270/76 9.3.76 PORTION OF WK, POSSIBLY BOWS, EXPOSED ABOVE THE LEVEL OF MLW, IN 585029.1N, 025359.4W. APPROXIMATELY 35MTRS LONG. ORIENTATED 027.5/207.5DEGS. (ORDNANCE SURVEY AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY DTD 16.5.73 FOR PG 1482-LP1).
**3.7.80 NOT SHOWN ON NC 35. (AREA BLUED OUT).
**9.8.80 COVERED BY 'BLOCKSHIPS SEE NOTE' LEGEND. NC 2162.
**11.12.81 COVERED BY WKS LEGEND. NC 2250.
**1.9.92 NAME GIVEN AS 'NAJA'. (DIVE SCAPA FLOW)
POSITIONS BELOW THIS POINT ARE IN DEGREES, MINUTES AND DECIMALS OF A MINUTE
**23.0.12 CONFIRMED AS 'NAJA'. COPY OF SALES RECEIPT TO METAL INDUSTRIES HELD. (K HEATH, TELECON 20.3.12). NCA.
Charting Comments : EXISTING SCALES TOO SMALL
Date Last Amended : 16/05/2007
