Cargo vessel · 1912–1920 · Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
SS Hathor
Also known as Hathor, Hathor and Plympton, Hathor/Plympton.
The German Hathor, dragged helplessly from her tow across the Atlantic in 1920, came to rest directly on top of the British Plympton, wrecked in fog back in 1909. The tangled marriage of the two hulls creates a complex underwater landscape where it is genuinely difficult to tell where one vessel ends and the other begins.
The Hathor's triple-expansion engines and twin boilers provide the main orientation points, clearing at around 25 metres with the seabed falling away to 33.
- Type
- Cargo vesselGerman
- Year built
- 1912
- Lost
- December 2nd, 1920Grounding
- Tonnage
- 7,060 GRTsteam
- Length
- 141.7 m18.3 m beam
- Depth
- 24–37 m
- Location
- Isles of Scilly, United KingdomCeltic Sea
3 of 7 facts above are cited in Sources below.
Deeper than 125 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
- Depth: 37 m shown; range in sources 28–37 m. Other published figures exist (why sources disagree).
- Tonnage: 7,060 GRT shown; range in sources 6–7,060 GRT. Other published figures exist (why sources disagree).
History and LossLost December 2nd, 1920 · Grounding · Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.
Broke free from tow after engine failure off the Azores and swept onto Lethegus Rocks south of St Agnes in storms. The site is shared with SS Plympton (2,869 tons), a British steamer that drove onto the same rocks in dense fog on 14 August 1909.
Built 1912; 8 years in service, also recorded as Hathor and Hathor and Plympton and Hathor/Plympton. Lost December 2nd, 1920, grounding.
The Voyage
- Cargo
- Nitrate of soda and oil cake
Condition of the WreckBroken, in 24–37 m.
Intactness
Lying over the earlier Plympton wreck and hiding part of it, Hathor is the dominant presence on the site. Her upper works have fallen in, leaving a twisted tangle of metal, while her triple-expansion engines and two boilers still stand out.
Notable Features
- Two wrecks stacked at one site
- Triple-expansion engines still visible
- Two boilers clearing at ~25m
- Tangled intertwined wreckage from both vessels
Additional Details11 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Nationality
- German
- Flag
- Germany
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- December 2nd, 1920
- Latitude
- 49.88° N
- Longitude
- 6.35° 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 Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record6 facts
- janmeecham.wordpress.comjanmeecham.wordpress.com · Secondary source7 facts
- submerged.co.uksubmerged.co.uk · Secondary source6 facts
- boathousecollectables.co.nzboathousecollectables.co.nz · Secondary source4 facts
- shipindex.orgshipindex.org · Secondary source3 facts
- brasilmergulho.combrasilmergulho.com · Secondary source1 fact
- Divernetdivernet.com · Club or operator14 facts
- Thai Wreck Diverthaiwreckdiver.com · Club or operator4 facts
- Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · Background reading3 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 3 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 SS Hathor?
SS Hathor is the wreck of a cargo vessel, off Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom, at 37 metres. SS Hathor ran aground and was wrecked in 1920.
How deep is the SS Hathor?
SS Hathor lies at 24 to 37 metres, Lethegus Rocks, south of St Agnes, Isles of Scilly.
How did the SS Hathor sink?
SS Hathor ran aground and was wrecked on December 2nd, 1920, off Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.