Cargo vessel · 1977–1997 · Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
MV Cita
Also known as Cita, MV John Wulff.
Scillonians woke in March 1997 to find their beaches strewn with cargo of every kind, from tobacco to computer parts, after gale-force winds had driven the Cita ashore on Newfoundland Point. The scenes that followed became a modern-day 'wrecking' sensation, and the national media covered the story. The ship herself broke apart and came to rest in two separate sections of very different character.
Her bow section begins at just 8 metres and slopes down to 27, whereas the stern falls away as deep as 40 metres. Each of the two still holds a substantial amount of steel structure, cargo holds and passageways among it, and both lie in the Atlantic-washed waters that surround Scilly.
- Type
- Cargo vesselGerman
- Year built
- 1977Sietas yard, Neuenfelde, Germany
- Lost
- March 26th, 1997Grounding
- Tonnage
- 3,083 GRTdiesel
- Length
- 93.53 m14.5 m beam
- Depth
- 8–40 m
- Location
- Isles of Scilly, United KingdomCeltic Sea
2 of 7 facts above are cited in Sources below.
Deeper than 131 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
- Depth: 40 m shown; range in sources 32–40 m. Other published figures exist (why sources disagree).
History and LossLost March 26th, 1997 · Grounding · Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.
Built originally as MV John Wulff, she was on passage from Southampton for Belfast when winds of gale force put her aground on Newfoundland Point, St Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly.
Built 1977 by Sietas yard, Neuenfelde, Germany; 20 years in service, also recorded as Cita and MV John Wulff. Lost March 26th, 1997, grounding.
Condition of the WreckBroken, in 8–40 m.
Intactness
She has broken into sections, with the bow lying between 8 and 27m and the stern between 15 and 40m. Being a relatively modern loss, she still keeps a substantial amount of her steel structure.
Notable Features
- Split bow and stern sections at different depths
- Modern steel wreck with substantial structure
Additional Details12 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Nationality
- German
- Flag
- Germany
- Builder
- Sietas yard, Neuenfelde, Germany
- Propulsion
- Diesel
- Loss date
- March 26th, 1997
- Latitude
- 49.91° N
- Longitude
- 6.28° W
- Water body
- Celtic Sea
- War grave
- No
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
- Condition
- Broken
Sources and VerificationEvery cited fact on this page traces to a published source.
- UK Government publicationassets.publishing.service.gov.uk · Official record7 facts
- UK Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record6 facts
- archive.onlinedmc.co.ukarchive.onlinedmc.co.uk · Secondary source5 facts
- cornwalllive.comcornwalllive.com · Secondary source5 facts
- tynesidebsac.co.uktynesidebsac.co.uk · Secondary source5 facts
- artblart.comartblart.com · Secondary source4 facts
- shipwrecks.uk.comshipwrecks.uk.com · Secondary source2 facts
- bbc.combbc.com · Secondary source1 fact
- Divernetdivernet.com · Club or operator10 facts
- Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · Background reading15 facts
Background reading is listed for context and is not counted as a citation for the facts above.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.
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 MV Cita?
MV Cita is the wreck of a cargo vessel, off Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom, at 40 metres. MV Cita ran aground and was wrecked in 1997.
How deep is the MV Cita?
MV Cita lies at 8 to 40 metres, Newfoundland Point, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.
How did the MV Cita sink?
MV Cita ran aground and was wrecked on March 26th, 1997, off Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.