the search for the SS Desabla

  SS OYELRIC Sistership to DESABLA

SS Desabla was first found and Dived by TEC Divers/SQSAC in April 2010, and finally positively identified in August 2010 after a 3 years search during which we found and dived the SS Boyne Castle, SS Burnstone The Exmouth and HMS St Briac, as well as many others which are yet to be positively identified.

SS Desabla was built for Andrew Weir Trading and Shipping, Bank Line, built and engined by Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd at Newcastle in 1913.

6,047 GRT,
Length: 420.3 feet (128.11 m)
Beam: 54.6 feet (16.6 m2)
Depth: 32.4 feet (9.88 m)
Crew: 35

 She was the first oil tanker to join the Bank Line fleet and was chartered and operated for approximately one year by General Petroleum Company along the Pacific coast of the United States, Chile and Canada.
In 1914 on the outbreak of war she was requisitioned for use as an Admiralty Oiler. June 12th 1915 while on voyage with a cargo of Linseed Oil from Port Arthur in Texas to Hull in the UK she was caught and sunk by U17.

 The Admiralty Sinking Report below makes great reading:-

"This Admiralty Oiler Transport No.63 was steaming on course when the German Submarine U-17 was seen right astern, gaining rapidly on the Steamship. The Master endeavoured to keep the vessel astern making various violent changes of course, but the submarine was much faster and rapidly took up a position close to the ship. The Enemy commenced to shell the Desabla at 07:20 am and kept up a continual fire at her from a Deck Gun. Realising that escape was impossible, the master stopped his Engine and ordered all hands into the Boats, which were successfully lowered at 08:20 am, allowing all the Crew to escape safely. Shortly after the enemy fired a Torpedo into the Ship at 08:30 am, but as she did not sink immediately some members of the crew went aboard her, presumably to place explosive charges and to loot her. When last seen by the Master at 12:30 pm, his ship was sinking fast and the Submarine had submerged out of sight. The survivors were picked up by the Armed Trawlers at 3:30 pm and taken ashore."

  SS Vitruvia Similar design of Tanker to Desabla but much smaller

The reported position of her sinking was 10 Miles from Tod Head, Arbroath but local Divers had searched for her for years and been unable to find her. The physical size of this wreck interested us and the story of her chase by a U17 and final sinking was intruiging. We worked with Marinequest to use recent Survey Information and Local Fishermans known snags to narrow down the location to an area called the Wee Bankies some 40-50 miles from Eyemouth, for 3 years we attempted to get out whenever the weather allowed and dive the large Wreck Marks we had identified. During these Trips we found, The Exmouth an American Freighter mined in 1945, SS Burnstone torpedoed in 1918, HMS St Briac Mined in 1942 and during these Dives we recovered Bells from all three so were able to positively identify them.
.....But the Desabla was still eluding us, there was now only one large Mark left and at nearly 50 miles out it was the furthest out of all the marks, so it wasnt until April 2010 that we managed to get a Weather Window and get on site.

We had been Diving Deep Wrecks with Marinequest all that week and the visibility wasnt great as we were in the middle of a Plankton Bloom, and the weather had been 'challenging', but we managed to get a forecast which gave us a short weather window ...so it was on!...after a 5 hour steam in varying sea conditions we arrived on site, it was really calm and as we were far offshore we were expecting decent visibility.
There was a distinct smell of oil in the air and oily patches on the water, Iain was accused of pumping his bilges out until we noticed that oil was appearing on the surface.

The info we had indicated she was sitting upright in 67m with the deck at 50+m but as we descended the visibility was appalling and on reaching the seabed at 68m no wreck, we had to reel off and were suddenly faced by an intimidating black vertical wall of steel, so she was lying on her Port side after a quick investigation with visibility detiorating and the fear that we were about to inadvertantly swim inside one of the huge chasms, and the 4degs water temperature we aborted the Dive, very frustrated with a tantalising glimpse of a massive intact Wreck, but still no evidence that this was Desabla.

Our weather window suddenly slammed shut the Steam back was horrendous as the wind and seas picked up and it was a difficult 5hours for the Skipper and the Divers with £6000 rebreathers tumpling and crashing around the deck, and the Auto Pilot being unable to cope with the Huge Waves, were never so glad to see Eyemouth Harbour.

SS Desabla Sketch Courtesy of Stevie Adams

Roll on to August 2010, after several cancelled attempts we finally got a chance to get back out to her. Onsite, there was avery noticeable smell of oil on the surface and you could see a rainbow shimmer of oil all around, still leaking oil after 95 years! Iain was the Skipper of the 'Jacob George' and after repositioning the shot line we all dropped in to find 30-40m visibility and ambient light at nearly 70m! we found a large tanker with he Port side at 47-55m and the starboard side at 68m she had a large break mid section and the Bow had collapsed but she was remarkably intact, no Bell was found but Steering helms and Telegraphs were found on the Seabed, when ascending the shot line on stops at 30 metres you could see the whole wreck laid out with divers 40m below.
Once back onboard we checked the plan and were able to identify the distinctive Tank Covers, the Spare Prop lashed to the Deck and the Bridge walkway.
 
A superb Dive especially for Divers with DPV's (Scooters) and there is a lot to explore as the Engine room Decking has collapsed exposing the enormous Engine and Boilers. and the central living area is open to allow fairly easy penetration below decks.

We hope to be back out to take video and Pictures in 2011

Thanks to Jim and Iain from Marinequest for all there help in finding and getting us out to the these difficult Offshore sites, and in getting us back to Harbour in some terrible conditions.

 ***** Please note all images and text are copyright S.Adams and TEC Divers *****