The wreck of the LANDONIA lies in 85m of water and is orientated 045 (bow)/225 (stern). The wreck is upright on the seabed and the main part, including the bow, is 81m in length and 13m wide. The stern section is 9m in length, broken off and reversed in direction (McCartney, 2022: 180).
The wreck was originally identified by the UKHO as the YTURRI BIDE. Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 180) for the Echoes from the Deep project, following a detailed survey by Bangor University in May 2019, identified the wreck as being dimensionally, positionally, and archivally consistent with the loss of the LANDONIA. The record has been updated to reflect that new research.
NOTE: The update to the location of the wreck of the LANDONIA means that it no longer lies within Welsh Waters, and is to the west of the Wales/Ireland median line in the Irish Sea. As such, the wreck should not be considered as an active part of the National Monuments Record of Wales. It has been retained within the overall NMRW for completeness.
Event and Historical Information:
The LANDONIA was built in 1917 by the Clyde Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Glasgow. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 2504gt, 300.2ft length x 44.7ft breadth x 19.3ft depth; powered by triple expansion engine, 250nhp; armed.
The LANDONIA was carrying 3500 tons of iron ore from Bilbao to Glasgow when it was torpedoed by U-91 on 21 August 1918. The vessel sank immediately. Twenty-one crewmembers were killed, with only 4 survivors. There are sources that suggest either the master or a gunner were captured. The loss location was 27 miles N by W ? west from Strumble Head. A sonar contact in this vicinity was reported during World War II and a wreck was located by the UKHO in May 1980.
Sources include:
HMSO, 1988, British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18 and 1939-45, p.87
Hocking C, 1994, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea in the Age of Steam, p.412
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 April - 30 June 1918, p.9 (i)
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
U-Boat Project: Commemorating the War at Sea
UKHO ID 9936: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, November 2023.
This record was enhanced in 2020 with funding from Lloyd's Register Foundation as part of the project ‘Making the Link: Lloyd's Register and the National Monuments Record of Wales’. Visit Lloyd’s Register Foundation Heritage and Education Centre for more resources.