Patrol vessel · lost 1980 · City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Switha

Blown up to disperse her fuel oil, the wreck of Switha stood above the surface off Herwit Rock, at the south-east corner of Inchkeith, for years before she broke up and disappeared beneath the water around 2001. She had been a steam-powered fisheries patrol vessel driven by a triple-expansion engine, transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland in 1971, renamed Switha and based at Leith.

Returning there at the end of a sixteen-day patrol, she met a Force 9 gale and a heavy swell on her approach to the dock gates and ran hard aground. A Coastguard helicopter lifted thirteen of the twenty-five men aboard; tugs could not move her and pumps could not keep pace with the water flooding her holed hull. Scattered metal remains in the shallows off the rocks, showing at exceptionally low spring tides.

Type
Patrol vessel
Lost
1980
Depth
About 13 mInferred from seabed survey
Location
City of Edinburgh, United KingdomFirth of Forth

3 of 4 facts above are cited in Sources below.

About 13 m: the deepest surveyed seabed within 250 m of the recorded position (EMODnet bathymetry). Inferred from the seabed, not measured on the wreck. Deeper than 21 of the 153 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.

History and LossLost 1980 · City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

On 31 January 1980, in what was meant to be her final season before the breakers, Captain David Dickson was at the helm bringing her into Leith when she struck Herwit Rock. Nobody aboard was in immediate danger: the Anstruther lifeboat crossed the Firth to stand by the men who stayed with her, and the South Queensferry inshore boat broke down and had to be towed home.

Two tugs the next day and six pumps flown out by helicopter could not shift her.

Lost 1980.

Condition of the WreckScattered.

Intactness

Broken up and gone below the surface since around 2001; only scattered metal survives in the shallows off Herwit Rock.

Notable Features

  • Scattered metal remains

Sea-Surface Temperature by Month

Sea-surface temperature at the position of Switha, by month. Monthly mean sea-surface temperature at the wreck's position, 2015–2024 (NOAA JPL MUR SST v4.1).
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Surface temp7°6.1°6.1°7.5°9.9°12.1°13.7°14.3°13.7°11.9°10.3°8.5°

Additional Details9 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.

Propulsion
Steam
Loss date
1980
Latitude
56.0197° N
Longitude
3.1121° W
Water body
Firth of Forth
War grave
Not recorded
Protected
No
Permit required
No
Condition
Scattered

Sources and VerificationEvery cited fact on this page traces to a published source.

  • 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.
  • EMODnet Bathymetry Consortium: EMODnet Digital Bathymetry (DTM). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  • 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 Switha?

Switha is the wreck of a patrol vessel, off City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, at about 13 metres. Switha was lost in 1980.

How deep is the Switha?

Switha lies at about 13 metres: the deepest surveyed seabed within 250 metres of the recorded position (EMODnet bathymetry). The figure is inferred from the seabed, not measured on the wreck.

How did the Switha sink?

The cause of the loss of Switha is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1980.