Steamship · 1909–1921 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom
Rowan
An encore set the Rowan's loss in motion. Calls for more from the Southern Syncopated Orchestra at Glasgow's Lyric Theatre made the band late, and Captain Brown held his ship at Greenock for nearly an hour so they could board for Dublin. Built by D and W Henderson in 1909 for the Laird Line, she had served the Admiralty through the First World War and returned to her owners afterwards.
Slowed by fog off the Galloway coast, she was struck at the stern by the American steamer West Camak; the damage was slight, but Brown mustered everyone on deck with the lifesaving gear ready. Then the Clan Malcolm came out of the murk and hit her amidships, nearly severing her, and she sank at once. She lies upright on a rocky bottom some two miles off Dally Bay.
- Type
- Steamship
- Year built
- 1909D and W Henderson
- Lost
- 1921
- Tonnage
- 1,493 GRTsteam
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway, United KingdomNorth Channel
History and LossLost 1921 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom.
She left Greenock around 7pm on 8 October 1921 for Dublin. In thick fog off the Galloway coast, at about 12:10am, the West Camak struck her stern, and the destroyer HMS Wrestler answered the distress call. The Clan Malcolm, bound from Glasgow to Birkenhead, then struck her starboard side amidships.
Seventy-seven survivors were picked up, most wearing lifebelts or lifejackets; around twenty people, Captain Brown among them, were lost.
Built 1909 by D and W Henderson; 12 years in service. Lost 1921.
Condition of the WreckIntact.
Intactness
She sits upright on a rocky seabed about two miles off Dally Bay, oriented 295°/115° with her stern towards the Galloway shore.
Notable Features
- Triple expansion engine
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 9.1° | 8° | 7.6° | 8.2° | 9.8° | 11.9° | 13.7° | 14.5° | 14.5° | 13.6° | 12.3° | 10.5° |
Additional Details10 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Builder
- D and W Henderson
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- 1921
- Latitude
- 54.9651° N
- Longitude
- 5.2411° W
- Water body
- North Channel
- War grave
- Not recorded
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
- Condition
- Intact
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 source9 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 Rowan?
Rowan is the wreck of a steamship, off Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom. Rowan was lost in 1921.
How did the Rowan sink?
The cause of the loss of Rowan is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1921.