The wreck of the EARL OF ELGIN lies in 112m of water and is orientated 040 (bow)/ 220 (stern). The wreck is 113m in length and 15.4m wide. It lies upright on the seabed with a central bridge and cargo holds fore and aft (McCartney, 2022: 116).
The wreck was originally identified by the UKHO as UNKNOWN. Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 116) 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 EARL OF ELGIN, and its record has been updated to reflect that new research.
Event and Historical Information:
The EARL OF ELGIN was a steel-hulled steamship built by Russell & Co, Port Glasgow, in 1909. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 4488gt, 2811nt; 384ft 7in length x 49ft 7in breadth x 26ft 3in depth.
At the time of loss on 7 December 1917, the vessel was owned by Anglo American Oil Company Ltd (later to become Shell). The vessel was under the command of master Leslie on passage from Milford Haven to Dublin when it was torpedoed by German submarine UC-75. The vessel sank with the loss of all 18 crewmembers. The sinking position was given as 10 miles west half south from the Carnarvon Bay Lightvessel or 53 05N, 05 05W. The wreck was located by HMS FAWN in 1981.
Sources include:
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 October - 31 December 1917, p.9 (i)
Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1915 - 30 June 1916, number 47 in E
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 6987: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, May 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.