Steamship · lost 1870 · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom
Duke of Edinburgh
Captain Byrne, bringing the Duke of Edinburgh up the Firth of Clyde from Dublin in fog with thirty passengers, cattle and general cargo, took a fog bank on his port bow for Ailsa Craig and turned to starboard, only to run at thirteen knots into a second bank that hid the island itself. She struck its western shore so hard that more than half her length came to rest above high water.
Vessels that heard the crash came to help, her crew calmed the passengers, and everyone aboard, the cattle included, was carried to the mainland. Already an unlucky ship, wrecked on her maiden voyage as the Earl of Dublin and rebuilt by Harland & Wolff, she resisted every attempt to haul her off until a south-westerly gale broke her in two amidships.
Hull plates and ribs lying off Ailsa Craig may be hers, but nothing found there has confirmed it.
- Type
- Steamship
- Lost
- January 28th, 1870
- Depth
- 20 m
- Location
- Firth of Clyde, United KingdomFirth of Clyde
Deeper than 50 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost January 28th, 1870 · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom.
She left Dublin for Glasgow on 18 January 1870 and, after an uncomfortable crossing of the North Channel, met fog in the Clyde estuary before running ashore on the west of Ailsa Craig. Her distress rockets brought vessels that took off passengers, crew and cattle, and most of her cargo was then removed to lighten her.
Attempts to drag her off failed, and after a south-westerly gale from 28 January she broke in two amidships on 3 February and became a total wreck.
Lost January 28th, 1870.
Condition of the WreckBroken.
Intactness
Wreckage believed to be hers sits near the shore off the south-west of Ailsa Craig. What remains is chiefly hull plating and ribs from a sizeable vessel, with little else identifiable, and no find there has confirmed her identity.
Notable Features
- Stern section
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 8.7° | 7.7° | 7.4° | 8.3° | 10.3° | 12.5° | 14.3° | 14.9° | 14.3° | 13° | 11.7° | 10.1° |
Additional Details9 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- January 28th, 1870
- Latitude
- 55.2516° N
- Longitude
- 5.1183° W
- Water body
- Firth of Clyde
- War grave
- Not recorded
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
- Condition
- Broken
Sources and VerificationEvery fact on this page traces to a published source.
- Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore, NRHE)inspire.hes.scot · Official record5 facts
- NOAA / NASA JPL MUR SST v4.1coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov · Institution or archive1 fact
- Scottish Shipwrecksscottishshipwrecks.com · Secondary source6 facts
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Historic Environment Scotland.
- 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 6 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 Duke of Edinburgh?
Duke of Edinburgh is the wreck of a steamship, off Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom, at 20 metres. Duke of Edinburgh was lost in 1870.
How deep is the Duke of Edinburgh?
Duke of Edinburgh lies at approximately 20 metres, Firth of Clyde.
How did the Duke of Edinburgh sink?
The cause of the loss of Duke of Edinburgh is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated January 28th, 1870.