Dredger · 1893–1942 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom
Great Ouse
Nobody knows what became of the men aboard the Great Ouse: reporting restrictions at the time meant their fate was never written down. She was a bucket dredger launched in 1893, a vessel of uncertain origins with no engine of her own.
A large boiler raised steam to work her bucket chain, which dropped through an opening in her hull, while the spoil went over the side by chute into steam lighters; to move at all she had to be towed. She was under tow behind a steam tug whose name is not recorded when the pair ran into a storm, and her rolling parted the cable and left her adrift.
Top-heavy as she was, the account of her loss holds that she must soon have capsized. The broken wreck lies upside down on flat sand off Dumfries and Galloway, her boiler near the stern standing highest and her bucket chain and gear lying to one side.
- Type
- Dredger
- Year built
- 1893
- Lost
- 1942
- Depth
- 25 m
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway, United KingdomSolway Firth
Deeper than 67 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1942 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom.
On 14 June 1942, while a steam tug whose name is unknown was towing her, the pair met stormy weather. As she rolled in the swell the tow cable parted, and she was left drifting out of control with no power of her own.
Built 1893; 49 years in service. Lost 1942.
Condition of the Wreck
Intactness
Broken and upturned on a flat sandy bottom, oriented 079/259 degrees, the wreck rises highest at her huge boiler close to the stern, while the bucket chain and its mechanism lie off to one side.
Notable Features
- Boilers
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 8.5° | 7.3° | 7.1° | 8.3° | 10.4° | 12.7° | 14.6° | 15.7° | 15.4° | 13.8° | 11.9° | 9.9° |
Additional Details7 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Loss date
- 1942
- Latitude
- 54.6426° N
- Longitude
- 4.6247° W
- Water body
- Solway Firth
- 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 source6 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 Great Ouse?
Great Ouse is the wreck of a dredger, off Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom, at 25 metres. Great Ouse was lost in 1942.
How deep is the Great Ouse?
Great Ouse lies at approximately 25 metres, Solway Firth, Dumfries and Galloway.
How did the Great Ouse sink?
The cause of the loss of Great Ouse is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1942.