The wreck site of the PULTENEY has been identified during research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 192) for the Echoes from the Deep project. McCartney concluded that the PULTENEY is dimensionally, and archivally consistent with UKHO 9964 (NPRN 516123). The record has been updated to reflect that research.
Event and Historical Information:
The PULTENEY was a steel-hulled steamship built by Ailsa Troon Shipbuilding Company Ltd in 1899. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 326gt, 129nt; 145ft 2in length x 23ft 6in breadth x 10ft depth; 2 deck, screw propulsion powered by a single steam boiler linked to a compound engine producing 78hp; machinery by Dunsmuir & Jackson, Glasgow. At the time of loss on 18 August 1934, the vessel was owned by S W Coe of Liverpool but registered at Falmouth.
The vessel was on passage from Penmaenmawr to London with a cargo of stone. The PULTENEY encountered thick fog and was proceeding cautiously with every member of the crew on duty. At about 1 am on Saturday 18 August 1934, the lights of a ship bearing down on them were seen and the order 'hard astern' was given. Nevertheless, the Liverpool-owned SS THELMA, crashed into the PULTENEY amidships and swept away part of the bridge. The PULTENEY heeled over immediately and the captain ordered the crew to the boats. The crew had only rowed a short distance when the PULTENEY went down. The crew were taken onboard the THELMA and arrived in Liverpool where they were provided with clothing, lodgings and food by the Sailors Home, Canning Place. The THELMA was damaged in the collision but continued to Ellesmere Port to discharge its cargo of china clay.
Sources include:
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 July - 30 September 1934, p.8 (f)
Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1933 - 30 June 1934, number 33437 in P
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
UKHO ID 9964: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, December 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.