Steel steam trawler · 1906–1907 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom
Rockcliffe
The inquiry into the loss of the Rockcliffe found that her skipper, Thomas Perry, had not navigated with proper care, kept no proper lookout and knew nothing of the deviation of his compass, and that his third hand, Millross, should have acted sooner when land loomed ahead; both men had their papers suspended for six months.
Built of steel at Aberdeen by J Duthie and Sons Ltd in 1906 and registered at Fleetwood, she was heading home past Rathlin with full holds when the skipper went below and left the course to Millross. In worsening fog and rain she held on, well east of where her crew believed her to be, and ran onto the shore at Carinbrock near Corsewall. Her crew scrambled off unhurt, but she could not be saved.
In the 1980s Peter Miller recovered her nameplate and builder's plate from scattered wreckage in shallow water.
- Type
- Steel steam trawler
- Year built
- 1906J Duthie and Sons Ltd
- Lost
- 1907
- Tonnage
- 237 GRTsteam
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway, United KingdomNorth Channel
History and LossLost 1907 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom.
She left the 'Klondyke' grounds, some 60 miles north west of Rathlin, around 6pm on 10 November 1907 with full fish holds, bound for Fleetwood with a crew of 10. After Rathlin she held a south-south-east course between the Maidens and the Mull of Galloway. At about 5am on 11 November, with a deckhand at the wheel, she ran aground; the skipper reversed her engines, but she was stuck fast and became a total wreck.
Built 1906 by J Duthie and Sons Ltd; 1 years in service. Lost 1907.
Condition of the WreckBroken.
Intactness
Scattered wreckage was identified in shallow water, around 4 metres, in the 1980s, when her nameplate and builder's plate were recovered. The source holds no more recent information on the site.
Notable Features
- Triple expansion engine
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 9° | 8° | 7.5° | 8.2° | 9.9° | 12° | 13.8° | 14.5° | 14.5° | 13.5° | 12.2° | 10.4° |
Additional Details10 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Builder
- J Duthie and Sons Ltd
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- 1907
- Latitude
- 54.9473° N
- Longitude
- 5.1866° W
- Water body
- North Channel
- 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
- 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 source8 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 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 Rockcliffe?
Rockcliffe is the wreck of a steel steam trawler, off Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom. Rockcliffe was lost in 1907.
How did the Rockcliffe sink?
The cause of the loss of Rockcliffe is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1907.