The wreck of the Embleton lies in two pieces in 74m of water and is attributed two UKHO IDs. The northern section (UKHO 9976) is the bow, is orientated 135/315 degrees, and is 42m in length. The southern section (UKHO 10020) is 105m to the south and is the stern section, orientated 020/200, and is 28m long by 11.5m wide.
The wreck was originally identified by the UKHO as the BOSCAWEN (NPRN 516077). Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 196) for the Echoes from the Deep project, following a detailed survey by Bangor University in May 2017, identified the wreck as being dimensionally, positionally, and archivally consistent with the loss of the EMBLETON. The record has been updated to reflect that new research.
Event and Historical Information:
The EMBLETON was a 3-masted barque, built in 1881 by Robert Thompson & Sons, Sunderland (Official No. 84096). The vessel was constructed from iron, 1233 grt, 69m long, 11m wide and 6.6m depth, it had two decks, one of which was iron. At the time of loss the ship was owned by P. Iredale & Porter Ltd of Liverpool, where the ship was registered.
On 21 July 1900 the EMBLETON was outbound from Liverpool to Wellington, New Zealand with a general cargo under Master J. Neilson. The ship was in collision with the SS CAMPANIA in fog. The CAMPANIA struck the EMBLETON cutting it in half, just aft of the mainmast. The EMBLETON sank immediately, killing 11 of its 18 crew
Sources include:
Lloyds Register Documentation https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/archive-library/ships/embleton-1881-61352/
Lloyds Register 1899-1900 (Sailing), E472
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
UKHO ID 9953: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
UKHO ID 10020: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?173590
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, November 2023.
