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Ilsenstein: Skerry Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Steamship (20th Century)
Site Name Ilsenstein: Skerry Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Classification Steamship (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Matatua Ii; Ilenstein; Churchill Barrier No. 2; Churchill Causeway; North Sea; Ilsenstein; Ilsenstein (Ex. Matatua)
Canmore ID 102362
Site Number ND49NE 8018
NGR ND 48344 99821
Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102362
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Maritime - Orkney
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Maritime
- Former County Not Applicable
ND49NE 8018 4825 9981
N58 52.975 W2 53.8667
NLO: Stromness [name: HY 253 090]
Glimps Holm [name: ND 472 991]
Glimpsholm Skerry [name: ND 482 995]
Scapa Flow [name centred HY 36 00].
Formerly entered as Site no. 8907.
For adjacent and successor causeway (Churchill Barrier no. 2), see ND49NE 15.
For other blockships in this group, see HY40SE 8002, and ND49NE 8014-17, 8019-21 and ND49NE 8023-4.
For plan indicating the relative locations and orientations of blockships in this group, see Macdonald 1990, 125.
ILSENSTEIN, 6518 ton gross, 448' x 56'. Built in 1898 at Keil. Sold for breaking up, but instead sunk as a blockship in February 1940. The wreck is very broken up and scattered over a wide area in depths of about 8 metres.
[The source includes transits for locating her.]
Source: Butland & Siedecki, BSAC Wreck Register, Scotland 1 1987.
Horizontal Datum = OGB
General water depth = 8
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The single-screw steamer ILSENSTEIN was built in 1908 and sunk as a blockship. Built at Kiel, registered Bremen.
Sources: Ferguson 1985; MacDonald 1990
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
14 March 1972. A position of 58 52 58.51N, 002 53 52W is given [the ELTON is in the same position]. The wreck is stated to lie on a bearing of 219.5 degrees, 594 metres from Lamb Holm trig station (61). Half the hull exists around the engine room area and pressed against the wreck of the ELTON. A great deal of blasting has been carried out recently, reducing the height to approximately 2.7 metres, with 3.6 metres of water over it.
Report by Undermarine Operations, 5 March 1972.
4 February 1982. The wreck has been extensively salvaged and blasted in several places. The remainder is deteriorating and dangerous to the incautious diver.
Report by B Winfield, 25 January 1982.
27 May 1982. The wreck is very broken up and spread over a large area. The height is 4 metres in a general depth of 8 metres.
Source: BSAC Wreck Register Vol.V.
20 August 1992. The site was demolished in 1950, and the wreck is well broken up .
Source: MacDonald 1990
Hydrographic Office, 1995.
(Classified as steel steamship: former name cited as Matatua, and date of loss 18 February 1940). Ilsenstein: this vessel was scuttled as a blockship to replace the Cape Ortegal (ND49NE 8023). (1508grt 244x35x15ft?)
Registration: Bremen. Built 1904. 8216grt. Length: 134m. Beam: 17m.
(Location of loss cited as N58 52.97 W2 53.87).
I G Whittaker 1998.
Surveyed 1997.
NMRS, MS/829/60 (pp. 13-14).
Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):
A3937 2 bearings: from seabed.
NMRS, MS/829/35.
Skerry Sound is not noted as such on the 1998 edition of the OS 1:50,000 map. The name apparently applies to the ill-defined sound leading E from St Mary's Bay {name centred ND 473 002] into Holm Sound [name centred ND 500 992] between Lamb Holm [name: HY 485 003] to the N and Glimps Holm [name: ND 473 992] to the S. It is now closed by Churchill Barrier No. 2 (ND49NE 15: ND 4822 9999 to ND 4785 9952).
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 18 August 2005.
Skerry Sound is not noted as such on the 1998 edition of the OS 1:50,000 map, but the current edition of the OS (GIS) notes the name around ND 4814 9995, between Glimps Holm and Glimpsholm Skerry.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 28 March 2007.
Reference (2011)
Whittaker ID : 177
Name : ILSENSTEIN (EX. MATATUA)
Latitude : 585258
Longitude : 25352
Date Built : 1904
Registration : BREMEN
Type : SS (STEEL)
Tonnage : 8216
Tonnage Code : G
Length : 134
Beam : 17
Draught : 12m
Position : Exact Position
Loss Day : 18
Loss Month : 2
Loss Year : 1940
Comment : Scuttled as blockship to replace CAPE ORTEGAL (1508G 244x35x15ft ?)
Reference (19 April 2012)
UKHO Identifier : 001264
Feature Class : Wreck
State : LIVE
Classification : Unclassified
Position (Lat/long) : 58.88292,-2.89778
Horizontal Datum : ORDNANCE SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN (1936)
WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.88250,-2.89940
WGS84 Origin : 3-D Cartesian Shift (BW)
Position Quality : Unreliable
Depth Quality : Depth unknown
Water Depth : 8
Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide
Name : ILSENSTEIN
Type : SS
Flag : BRITISH
Tonnage : 1508
Tonnage Type : Gross
Date Sunk : 18/02/1940
Contact Description : Notable debris
Original Sensor : Reported Sinking
Last Sensor : None reported
Original Detection Year : 1940
Last Detection Year : 1992
Original Source : Other
Last Source : Other
Circumstances of Loss : **SINGLE-SCREW STEAMER, BUILT 1908, WAS SUNK AS A BLOCKSHIP. (WKS OF SCAPA FLOW, DIVE SCAPA FLOW).
Surveying Details : **H2496/72 14.3.72 POSN 585258.51N, 025352W (ELTON IN SAME POSN). STATED TO LIE 219.5DEGS, 1950 FT FROM LAMB HOLM TRIG STN (61). HALF HULL EXISTS ROUND ENGINE ROOM AREA & PRESSED AGAINST WK OF ELTON. A GREAT DEAL OF BLASTING CARRIED OUT RECENTLY, REDUCING HEIGHT APPROX 9FT HIGH, WITH 12FT WATER OVER IT. (UNDERMARINE OPERATIONS, 5.3.72). INS AS DWP. BR STD.
**3.7.80 NOT SHOWN ON NC 35 (AREA BLUED OUT).
**11.12.81 COVERED BY LEGEND WKS ON NC 2250.
**H1310/82/4 4.2.82 HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY SALVAGED AND BLASTED IN SEVERAL PLACES. REMAINDER DETERIORATING AND DANGEROUS TO THE INCAUTIOUS DIVER. (B WINFIELD, 25.1.82).
**27.5.82 VERY BROKEN UP & SPREAD OVER LARGE AREA. HEIGHT 4MTRS IN GEN DEPTH 8MTRS. (BSAC WK REGISTER VOL V).
**20.8.92 DEMOLISHED IN 1950, BUT STILL MAKES GOOD SHORE DIVE. WELL BROKEN UP & DISPERSED OVER A WIDE AREA. THERE ARE SEVERAL MAIN AREAS OF WRECKAGE FROM ILSENSTEIN & OTHER DISPERSED BLOCKSHIPS IN AREA. (DIVE SCAPA FLOW).
Charting Comments : POSN FOR FILING ONLY
Date Last Amended : 09/02/2005
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 52.975 N 2 53.867 W The remains lie on a sandy bottom in about 5m – 7m of water. The wreckage has a moderate coverage of short animal turf on the submerged sections. The debris can be affected by storm swells but are generally sheltered from tide. The wrecks in Skerry Sound are subject to coastal accretion with an increase in sedimentation
caused by the construction of the barriers.
A large triple expansion engine that is partly covered with sand and four Scotch boilers were identified. An additional donkey boiler was recorded lying to the east of the main wreck.
Midships, the debris is well broken down and in addition to steel ribs and plates, some air vents, and some hanging knees were recorded. As noted in the side scan data, the bow is well preserved. It stands about 5m proud of the seabed and is listing to port. A small section of the bow is visible above the water at low tide and sections of the bow railing are intact.
An abandoned creel was noted in the wreckage.
Analysis
Historical documents and images confirm that these are the remains of the SS Ilsenstein, Historical photographs clearly show the SS Ilsenstein in position next to the Emerald Wings identified by the distinctive forward mast. The UKHO report indicates that the 1972 UK record that the remains of the Ilsenstein abut those of the SS Elton. As discussed above this has been shown to be inaccurate.
It is a commonly reported that the Ilsenstein had a twin triple expansion engine with a single shaft (http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?11635); however, the Lloyds reports for 1918-1919 indicate that the vessel was a twin screw with two six-cylinder engines. This could not be verified from the visible remains recorded during these surveys.
It should also be noted that the UKHO record of the SS Ilsenstein record the wrong tonnage (1508 vs the actual tonnage of 8212)
A British steel steamship registered in Bremen, the SS Ilsenstein was built in 1904 by Workman, Clark & Co. Ltd., Belfast, as Matatua, for Shaw, Savill & Albion Co., Ltd., Southampton. The Matatua was renamed SS Ilsenstein in 1928 when purchased by Arnold Bernstein. Sold to Metal Industries, Ltd in June 1939 for scrapping. The vessel was subsequently requisitioned by the Admiralty and was scuttled as a Blockship in Skerry Sound on 18th February 1940 as a replacement to the SS Cape Ortegal.
Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014
Side Scan Sonar Survey (2013)
58 52.975 N 2 53.867 W The site was assessed by side scan surveys using a pole-mounted towfish and diver ground-truthed.
Side Scan Data
The side scan images show the remains of a well broken down vessel measuring 92m long by 19m beam. The remains are oriented north to south with the bow to the south. The stern section appears partially buried. Five strong contacts were noted midships, thought to be the remains of four boilers and an engine. The forward hold can be seen surrounded by ribs and other debris. The bow section is the highest point of the remains as is visible 20-20cm above the water at low tide.
Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014
