Steamship · 1883–1915 · Orkney, United Kingdom
Aorangi
The Scapa Flow 2013 Marine Archaeology Survey, funded by Historic Scotland, recorded the Aorangi by side-scan sonar as a hull roughly 109 metres long, bow to the southeast, with four boilers rising about 4 metres from the seabed as her highest point.
She was a steel steamship of 117 metres, built at Glasgow by John Elder & Co in 1883 for the New Zealand Shipping Company, and later passed to the Union Steamship Company. In 1915 the Admiralty took her for use as a blockship and scuttled her in Kirk Sound against the stern of the Numidian. When the sound was reopened in 1920 she was refloated and shifted to where she now lies.
Recorded on the remains are a steering arm and rudder post at the stern, sections of fallen mast with a crow's nest, a donkey boiler and wooden decking at the bow; her engine and propeller shaft are gone.
- Type
- Steamship
- Year built
- 1883John Elder & Co
- Lost
- 1915
- Length
- 117 m13.9 m beam
- Depth
- 12 m
- Location
- Orkney, United KingdomNorth Sea
Deeper than 23 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1915 · Orkney, United Kingdom.
Requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1915 for use as a blockship, she was scuttled in Kirk Sound on 10 August 1915, placed to abut the stern of the SS Numidian. She was built with three masts, yet photographs of her as a blockship show only two, her aft mast having come down by then. Once the sound was opened again in 1920 she was refloated and shifted to her present position.
Built 1883 by John Elder & Co; 32 years in service. Lost 1915.
Condition of the Wreck
Intactness
Her remains rest in about 12 metres of water on sand and stone, oriented northwest to southeast, with four single-ended Scotch boilers midships. Her engine and propeller shaft are missing. The centre and forward masts have fallen to the port side, and a large section at the bow stands proud of the seabed.
Notable Features
- Boilers
- Mast
- Propeller
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 7.9° | 7.1° | 6.9° | 7.5° | 9° | 10.6° | 12.3° | 13.2° | 13° | 12° | 10.5° | 9.1° |
Additional Details9 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Builder
- John Elder & Co
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- 1915
- Latitude
- 58.8901° N
- Longitude
- 2.8633° W
- Water body
- North Sea
- War grave
- Not recorded
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
Sources and VerificationEvery fact on this page traces to a published source.
- Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore, NRHE)inspire.hes.scot · Official record6 facts
- UK Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record3 facts
- NOAA / NASA JPL MUR SST v4.1coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov · Institution or archive1 fact
- Scapa Flow Wrecksscapaflowwrecks.com · Secondary source11 facts
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Historic Environment Scotland.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.
- JPL MUR MEaSUREs Project. GHRSST Level 4 MUR Global Foundation Sea Surface Temperature Analysis (v4.1). PO.DAAC. https://doi.org/10.5067/GHGMR-4FJ04
A further 5 fields were derived from the wreck’s recorded position rather than taken from a source.
Licences and credits for the open data used on this site are on the Attribution page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Aorangi?
Aorangi is the wreck of a steamship, off Orkney, United Kingdom, at 12 metres. Aorangi was lost in 1915.
How deep is the Aorangi?
Aorangi lies at approximately 12 metres, North Sea, Orkney.
How did the Aorangi sink?
The cause of the loss of Aorangi is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1915.