The wreck lies in 96m of water and is orientated 220 (bow)/040 (stern) degrees. The wreck is lying on its port side and has a length of 142m. The bow is damaged and bent upwards.

The wreck was originally identified by the UKHO as the STRATHNAIRN (NPRN274804). Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 164) for the Echoes from the Deep project, following a detailed survey by Bangor University in May 2019, concluded that the wreck was far too long to be that of the STRATHNAIRN. McCartney identified the wreck as being positionally, and archivally consistent with the loss of the PORT TOWNSVILLE. He notes that the wreck is a little shorter than the original vessel, which can be accounted for by the impact of its bow with the seabed when sinking - damage that is also visible in the wreck itself. This record has been updated to reflect this research.

Event and Historical Information:
The PORT TOWNSVILLE was a steel-hulled motor vessel built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (yard number 1495) in 1935. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 8661gt, 5228nt; 496ft 4in length x 65ft 2in breadth x 31ft depth; 2 decks, cruiser stern, 8 x bulkheads, forecastle 45ft; screw propulsion powered by 16 cylinder oil engine producing 2237hp; machinery by Wallsend Slipway & Engineering Co Ltd. At time of loss, the vessel was owned by Commonwealth & Dominion Line Ltd (Port Line) and registered at London.

The ship was carrying a 3,000-ton cargo of tin plate/sheet from Newport to Australia, when it was bombed and set on fire by German aircraft on 3 March 1941. The St David's lifeboat was called out, but the captain and crew managed to abandon ship safely into their own lifeboats. The PORT TOWNSVILLE was abandoned and finally sank, bow first, early the next morning at 2.25am. Its position was given as 52 05N 05 24W, 11.75miles WNW of the South Bishop Lighthouse. This wreck was first located in April 1945 at 52 06 30N, 05 24 12W, and was re-confirmed by HMS BEAGLE in 1980.

Sources include:
Goddard, T, 1983, Pembrokeshire Shipwrecks, pg117

Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002

Lloyds Register of British and Foreign Shipping 1 July 1937 - 30 June 1938, number 32027 in P

McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep

UKHO ID 9896: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, April 2023

Site Record

Port Townsville (UKHO 9896)