For several years, this was known as the Parkmill, another steamship lost within a few weeks of the Anglo Dane. For some reason, she had never looked 'quite right', the dimensions were slightly too small, the engine too complex.
She was an old ship, 50 years old when hit by a mine layed by the UC40 on the southern approaches to Lerwick harbour. The bows were blown off, and the rest of the ship only stayed afloat for a matter of minutes before coming to rest on an even keel on white sand at about 68m about 300m away.
Dropping down, in mid winter, the short days also often mean cold, clear water - the straight dark lines starting to appear out of the gloom, sharpening up from about 45m or so - very little tide runs over the wreck, so she's diveable at all times. A collier, workhorse of the coastal trade, she'd had several major refits, and had her engines replaced several times .A ladder beckons you down into the hold, dropping down, the coal sludge still holds huge amounts of broken crockery and beer bottles. It was among this that a plate with the markings of DFDS, gave her name away.
Moving forwards through the corroded bulkhead into the engine room, it still gives the impression of a working area - the engine repeater, the (iron) telegraph - a shelf filled with concreted in oil cans, tools and a lamp - too fragile to touch. Small trays were you almost expect an oil rag to still be..
The engine looks odd, a compound engine originally, then 'added to', a large round container, possibly half a cochrane boiler looks out of place in front of a big winch. There's an area of tiled flooring, presumably part of the long gone upperworks at an angle. The forward hold is intact until about the point of the mast, then the decking is ripped away, a tangle of debris leading out over the seabed, as here guts spilled out.
Returning back over the decking, the most beautiful toilet I've ever seen, herons and trees shading the area - quite what it was doing on an old collier I've no idea, a wolf fish is often in residence here, marking his territory. Swimming back over the winch, resisting the temptation to overstay and explore the holds again - well maybe just one quick look.... then a wriggle up through the beams and back over the elliptic stern - a small perfectly formed prop, sadly iron again - the curve of the hull and a rudder in her final position. Lingering as ever. time passes all too fast, before turning back over the hull to head for the waiting strobe and home.
On one occasion, while we were diving Anglo Dane Bernie, the skipper of Aluvian, thought he would kill time by trying to find the bow section. It wasn’t long before a promising return was seen on the sounder, so a couple of weeks later we returned and dived the mark. Within 15 metres of the 70 metre seabed we could see the outline of the bows.
The two minute clip features an anchor on its side sticking out of the seabed, the hawse and a shot from in front of the bow looking aft with Fiona Watson finning over the top. The quality is not too good as I only had one video light working. The last clip is without lights.
