lost 1915 · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom
HMS Bayano
Only twenty-four of Captain Carr's crew on HMS Bayano were taken alive from two liferafts and an upturned lifeboat, hours after she went down, by Captain Foster of the Balmarino. Alexander Stephen and Sons had built her at Glasgow as a 5,948-ton banana carrier for Elders and Fyffes, and the Navy took her up as an armed merchant cruiser for the Northern Patrol.
Heading back out of the Firth of Clyde before dawn, she was struck forward by a single torpedo from Bernd Wegener's U-27; her magazine exploded and she went down by the bow within minutes. The Belfast collier Castlereagh, first to reach the scene, steamed away when the same U-boat approached. ProjectXplore confirmed in 2025 that a deep wreck off Corsewall Point is hers.
- Lost
- 1915Torpedo
- Tonnage
- 5,948 GRTsteam
- Depth
- 86–105 m
- Location
- Firth of Clyde, United KingdomNorth Channel
Deeper than 151 of the 153 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1915 · Torpedo · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom.
At 4.50 am on 11 March 1915, a few miles north of Corsewall Point, she was steaming out to resume her patrol with most of her crew asleep when U-27 fired a single torpedo from 200 to 300 metres. It struck her forward quarter near the engine room, her magazine detonated in a series of further explosions, and she sank by the bow within minutes, her stern lifted clear of the water.
Lost 1915, torpedo.
Condition of the Wreckin 86–105 m.
Intactness
Her hull rises to 86 metres from a seabed 105 metres down, aligned 155/335; ProjectXplore confirmed her identity in 2025 from distinctive features.
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 9.2° | 8.2° | 7.7° | 8.2° | 9.8° | 11.8° | 13.7° | 14.3° | 14.5° | 13.7° | 12.5° | 10.7° |
Additional Details9 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Builder
- Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- 1915
- Latitude
- 55.0506° N
- Longitude
- 5.4339° W
- Water body
- North Channel
- 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 record5 facts
- UK Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record3 facts
- NOAA / NASA JPL MUR SST v4.1coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov · Institution or archive1 fact
- Scottish Shipwrecksscottishshipwrecks.com · Secondary source10 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 4 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 HMS Bayano?
HMS Bayano is the wreck of a ship, off Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom, at 105 metres. HMS Bayano was torpedoed in 1915.
How deep is the HMS Bayano?
HMS Bayano lies at 86 to 105 metres, North Channel, Firth of Clyde.
How did the HMS Bayano sink?
HMS Bayano was torpedoed on 1915, off Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom.