SS Dunraven
Encyclopedia
The SS Dunraven was built in Newcastle upon Tyne
at the C.Mitchell and C. Iron Ship Builders, launched in 1873 the ship was owned by a Mr W Milburn. Powered by both sail
and steam
the ship was planned to ply the route from Britain to Bombay.
3 years later in January 1876 she set sail from Liverpool
loaded with steel and timber she sailed for Bombay where the cargo was sold and she was reloaded with Spices, Cotton and Muslin for the return journey. It was generally an uneventful journey and she reached the Red Sea
approaches to the Suez Canal
on 25 April. Thinking they were further up the Gulf of Suez
than they actually were Captain Care and the 25 man crew sailed the ship straight into the reef. The ship stuck fast south of Beacon Rock at the southern end of the furthest reaches of what is now the Ras Mohammed National Park on the outside of Sha'ab Mahmoud. The crew worked frantically to dislodge her and 14 hours after striking the rock she slid off, unfortunately this motion up set her balance and she capsized.
She sunk quickly then into 25 metres of water, leaving the crew to be rescued from the life boats by local fisheremen. After the incident the British Board of Trade
held an immediate enquiry and found Captain Care to have been at fault. The board declared him negligent and revoked his Captain's license, the Master's Certificate, for a year.
ship that operated on behalf of Lawrence of Arabia. Then a piece of porcelain was found with the name SS Dunraven upon it showing its real origin. Legends still surround the wreck as there are stories of the wreck being caused due to an argument between the drunk Captain and his promiscuous wife.
Since its rediscovery the wreck has become a popular dive site due to its shallow depth. The wreck has largely broken up as it lies upside down upon the reef but there are three large holes in the hull which allow divers to penertrate the wreck and examine the two large boilers and host of fallen metal work. In part due to the shallow depth an abundance of reef fish can be found around it, Glassfish
, Groupers, Jackfish
, Scorpionfish
and Crocodilefish
can all be seen around the ruptures in the hull.
27.4215°N 34.0730°W
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
at the C.Mitchell and C. Iron Ship Builders, launched in 1873 the ship was owned by a Mr W Milburn. Powered by both sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
and steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
the ship was planned to ply the route from Britain to Bombay.
3 years later in January 1876 she set sail from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
loaded with steel and timber she sailed for Bombay where the cargo was sold and she was reloaded with Spices, Cotton and Muslin for the return journey. It was generally an uneventful journey and she reached the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
approaches to the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
on 25 April. Thinking they were further up the Gulf of Suez
Gulf of Suez
The northern end of the Red Sea is bifurcated by the Sinai Peninsula, creating the Gulf of Suez in the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The Gulf of Suez is formed within a relatively young, but now inactive rift basin, the Gulf of Suez Rift, dating back about 28 million years...
than they actually were Captain Care and the 25 man crew sailed the ship straight into the reef. The ship stuck fast south of Beacon Rock at the southern end of the furthest reaches of what is now the Ras Mohammed National Park on the outside of Sha'ab Mahmoud. The crew worked frantically to dislodge her and 14 hours after striking the rock she slid off, unfortunately this motion up set her balance and she capsized.
She sunk quickly then into 25 metres of water, leaving the crew to be rescued from the life boats by local fisheremen. After the incident the British Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
held an immediate enquiry and found Captain Care to have been at fault. The board declared him negligent and revoked his Captain's license, the Master's Certificate, for a year.
Dive Site
The wreck was known to local fishermen for generations as the shallow depth would cause their nets to snag but it was only re-discovered to the general populace in 1977 when a German Oil company employee re-discovered the site. The ship was dived on soon afterwards and many wide theories appeared about it suggesting it was a World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ship that operated on behalf of Lawrence of Arabia. Then a piece of porcelain was found with the name SS Dunraven upon it showing its real origin. Legends still surround the wreck as there are stories of the wreck being caused due to an argument between the drunk Captain and his promiscuous wife.
Since its rediscovery the wreck has become a popular dive site due to its shallow depth. The wreck has largely broken up as it lies upside down upon the reef but there are three large holes in the hull which allow divers to penertrate the wreck and examine the two large boilers and host of fallen metal work. In part due to the shallow depth an abundance of reef fish can be found around it, Glassfish
Glassfish
Glassfish may refer to:* Asiatic glassfish, marine fishes in the family Ambassidae* GlassFish, a Java Enterprise Edition application server project...
, Groupers, Jackfish
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, Scorpionfish
Scorpionfish
Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfish, are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As the name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venomous mucus. The family is a large one, with hundreds of members. They are...
and Crocodilefish
Crocodilefish
Crocodilefish is the common name given to some members of the family Platycephalidae:*It is the Fishbase recognised name for Cymbacephalus beauforti, the De Beaufort's flathead, a fish occurring in the western Pacific....
can all be seen around the ruptures in the hull.
27.4215°N 34.0730°W