The wreck of the HALBERDIER lies in 65m of water, the wreck is broken and collapsed with the bow pointing to the north, and the stern to the east. The bow section of the ship is 68m in length, and a pair of twin boilers and associated engine are visible in the aft half (McCartney, 2022: 189).
The wreck was originally identified by the UKHO as the FRANCOISE DE LILLE (NPRN 516141). Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 189) 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 HALBERDIER. The record has been updated to reflect that new research.
Event and Historical Information:
The HALBERDIER was a steel-hulled steamship built by Ropner & Sons Ltd in 1915. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 1049gt, 465nt; 230ft length x 35ft breadth x 14ft depth; 1 deck, 5 bulkheads; screw propulsion powered by twin steam boilers linked to a triple expansion engine producing 170hp; machinery by NE Marine Eng Co Ltd., Newcastle. The Mercantile Navy List of 1917 notes the owner as Fisher Renwick, Manchester-London Steamers Ltd, Cornbrook Road, Manchester. At the time of loss on 6 January 1918, the vessel was still owned by the same company (George Renwick, Collingwood Buildings, Newcastle-upon-Tyne given as manager) and registered at Manchester. The ship was on passage from Manchester to London when it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-61 with the loss of 5 lives.
Sources include:
Appropriation Books, Official Numbers 135351 - 135400 (135364)
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyds Register Documentation: https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/archive-library/ships/halberdier-1915
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 January - 31 March 1918, p.10 (i)
Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1915 - 30 June 1916, number 100 in H
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
Mercantile Navy List, 1917, p.252
U-Boat Project: Commemorating the War at Sea
UKHO ID 9955: 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.