The wreck identified as the ROANOKE lies in 49m of water with its keel orientated 200 (bow)/ 020 (stern) degrees. It has a surveyed length of 76m, and a width of 13.5m.
This wreck was originally located and examined by the UKHO in 1965 and re-examined in 1979. Diver reports from the 1980s note that it is intact forward of the aft end of the midships structure, but further aft has collapsed. The wreck has gun sponsons forward and aft, and a large gun on the stern. The highest point is the wheelhouse. The ship's bell was also discovered, confirming its identity. It was subject to a detailed survey by Bangor University in July 2019. Associated research was undertaken by Dr Innes McCartney (2022) for the Echoes from the Deep project, which corroborated the existing identification of the wreck as the ROANOKE.
Event and Historical Information:
The ROANOKE (ex. LAKE GLASCO, 1919-1932) was a steel-hulled screw-steamer, built in 1919 by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company (Official No. 218438, Yard No. 262). The ship was 2606grt, 76.5m in length, 13.3m width, and 8.5m depth. It was powered by a 3-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine with three water tube boilers. At the time of loss it was being used as a refrigerated storeship by the United States Army Transport.
On 1 November 1945, the ROANOKE was on passage from Antwerp to New York under Master Howard E. Blake when it was torpedoed and sunk by U1055, with the loss of 2 crewmen and 2 army gunners. The loss location was given as approximately 53 19N, 04 48W.
Sources include:
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
Lloyds Register Documentation, LRF-PUN-W1395-0002-R: https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/archive-library/ships/roanoke-1919-lake-glasco/
UKHO ID 7178: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?30760
http://www.usmm.org/sunk45.html
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, November 2024.