Auxiliary schooner · lost 1940 · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom
Penola
The Penola began life in France as the fishing schooner Alcyon, built by E. Bonne of Kerity in 1908, and later became a private yacht named Navaho. In 1934 John Rymill of Penola Station, South Australia, bought her for his expedition to Graham Land in Antarctica; her hull was strengthened, twin diesel engines were fitted and she took the name of his home.
After the expedition, which was based on the Falkland Islands, she came back to Britain and was bought by the Vyner family, who used her to carry grain between Isle Martin in Loch Broom and Liverpool. Sailing up the Clyde, she collided with another vessel off Toward Point and, taking in water, was beached just west of the light, while her crew reached land in their lifeboat.
She settled upright but later broke up, and engine parts and a section of keel have been found in shallow water close by.
- Type
- Auxiliary schooner
- Lost
- 1940
- Depth
- 5 m
- Location
- Firth of Clyde, United KingdomFirth of Clyde
Deeper than 3 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1940 · Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom.
Heading up the Clyde on the morning of 9th November 1940, she was struck by another ship near Toward Point. Flooding, she was deliberately grounded a little west of the light, and everyone aboard got safely to land by lifeboat. She came to rest upright, her masts and some of her after deck still clear of the sea at high water.
Lost 1940.
Condition of the Wreck
Intactness
In time she went to pieces. Near her charted position west of Toward Lighthouse, parts of her engine and a length of keel have been found in 3 to 5 metres, among big kelp-covered boulders.
Notable Features
- Engine parts
- Keel section
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 8.3° | 7.3° | 7.1° | 8.2° | 10° | 12.1° | 14° | 14.6° | 13.8° | 12.4° | 11.2° | 9.7° |
Additional Details8 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Propulsion
- Diesel
- Loss date
- 1940
- Latitude
- 55.8622° N
- Longitude
- 4.9981° 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.
- Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore, NRHE)inspire.hes.scot · Official record6 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 source3 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 7 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 Penola?
Penola is the wreck of an auxiliary schooner, off Firth of Clyde, United Kingdom, at 5 metres. Penola was lost in 1940.
How deep is the Penola?
Penola lies at approximately 5 metres, Firth of Clyde.
How did the Penola sink?
The cause of the loss of Penola is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1940.