Steamship · lost 1949 · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom

Christina Dawn

The crew of the Christina Dawn were taken off safely by the Troon lifeboat after the small steamship missed the narrow entrance to Irvine harbour in a south-westerly gale and went ashore near Ardeer. Built as Shotton, she had passed through several owners and names before her last owners renamed her.

She was carrying carbide in drums from Port Talbot, and she lay jammed among rocks on the beach with her propeller and rudder gone. Early surveys gave hope of refloating her, but the carbide later exploded and fire swept her from the bunker to the bow while crowds watched from the harbour. The harbour was closed and precautions were taken at the Ardeer explosives works.

What remained was a total wreck, later cleared by salvors, and nothing of her is now left at the spot just north of the harbour entrance.

Type
Steamship
Lost
April 3rd, 1949
Location
Firth of Clyde, United KingdomFirth of Clyde

History and LossLost April 3rd, 1949 · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom.

She came ashore on the early afternoon of 3 April 1949, her stern post badly damaged, though the first inspections found little harm to the hull. At 6:30am on 14 April the carbide blew up with a blast felt by many local people, tearing a gap in her starboard side.

Some 40 tons of bunker coal were thought to be feeding the blaze, and salvage officials warned that the carbide could give off gases and cause further explosions.

Lost April 3rd, 1949.

Condition of the Wreck

Intactness

Fire and explosion left most of the ship severely damaged, and salvors later took the wreck away. No trace of her survives at the site, two hundred yards north of the entrance to Irvine harbour.

Notable Features

  • Cargo remains
  • Propeller

Additional Details8 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.

Propulsion
Steam
Loss date
April 3rd, 1949
Latitude
55.6058° N
Longitude
4.7002° W
Water body
Firth of Clyde
War grave
Not recorded
Protected
No
Permit required
No

Sources and VerificationEvery fact on this page traces to a published source.

  • Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Historic Environment Scotland.

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 Christina Dawn?

Christina Dawn is the wreck of a steamship, off Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom. Christina Dawn was lost in 1949.

How did the Christina Dawn sink?

The cause of the loss of Christina Dawn is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated April 3rd, 1949.