The wreck of the ESKMERE lies in 117m of water and is orientated 230 (bow)/050 (stern) degrees. The wreck is at least 66m in length and 12.2m in width. The bow and stern areas of the wreck are broken down and degraded.
The wreck was originally identified by the UKHO as the MEXICO CITY (NPRN 274876). Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 120) for the Echoes from the Deep project, following a detailed survey by Bangor University May 2019 concluded that the wreck was too small to be that of the MEXICO CITY. Instead, McCartney concluded that the wreck was likely to be that of the ESKMERE and its record has been updated to reflect that new research.
Event and Historical Information:
The ESKMERE was a 2,293 gross ton steamship built at North of Ireland SB. Co., Ltd., Londonderry in 1916. The ship was 287 feet 2 inches in length and 40 feet 6 inches in breadth with 158 horsepower engines. At the time of loss, the vessel was owned by H. Greenhalgh, the Bromport Steamship Co., Lim., Royal Liver Building, Liverpool.
On 13 October 1917 when on route from Belfast for Barry the ESKMERE was torpedoed by German submarine UC 75, commanded by Johannes Lohs, and sunk when 15 miles WNW from South Stack, Anglesey, Wales. 20 lives were lost including the vessel's Master.
Sources include:
Appropriation Books, Official Numbers 137501 - 137550 (137514)
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 October - 31 December 1917, p.9 (i)
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
Mercantile Navy List 1917, p.192
U-Boat Project: Commemorating the War at Sea
UKHO ID 7000: 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.