Archaeological remains associated with the loss of this vessel are not confirmed as present at this location, but may be in the vicinity.
Event and Historical Information:
The ETHELINDA was a steel-hulled steamship built by W Gray & Co Ltd at West Hartlepool in 1911. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 3257gt, 2053nt; 335ft x 47ft 5in breadth x 23ft 2in depth; 1 deck, 5 bulkheads, passenger deck 29ft, boatdeck 102ft, forecastle 36ft; screw propulsion powered by two steam boilers linked to a triple expansion engine producing 309hp; machinery by Central Marine Eng Works, West Hartlepool. The vessel had a change of name suring its service life - ex-BROOKLET. At time of loss on 29 January 1918, the vessel was owned by the Harrowing Steam Ship Company Ltd. It was carrying a cargo of iron ore from Bilbao to Barrow-in-Furness when it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-103. Twenty-six lives were lost, including the master T A Roberts. Sources differ with regard to the sinking position - 15 miles northwest of the Skerries or 15 miles southeast of the Skerries.
Sources include:
Ethelinda, uboat.net
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 January - 31 March 1918, p.9 (i)
Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1915 - 30 June 1916, number 1325 in B
SS Ethelinda, Wreck Site EU
U-Boat Project: Commemorating the War at Sea
UC 31, uboat.net
UK Hydrographic Office Wrecks and Obstructions Database. ? Crown Copyright and database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk)
Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, January 2010.
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.