Steamship · lost 1940 · Shetland, United Kingdom
Tonis Chandris
Captain Andreas Cockinos and his crew of twenty-one were carrying manganese ore from Narvik to Barrow in 1940 when the Tonis Chandris struck the Vere Reef, off Unst, in thick fog; some accounts say a U-boat was chasing her.
Her first distress call was too vague to place her, and the lifeboat Lady Jane and Martha Ryland waited at Balta Sound until a second message put her somewhere between Fetlar and the north of Unst. At first light the lifeboat found her on the reef and stood by until the tug St Mellons came out from Lerwick.
The tow failed, her crew went aboard the tug, and later efforts to float her off after lightening her cargo also came to nothing. Built at Rostock in 1904 as the Hornburg, she had passed through German, British and Greek hands. Her wreckage lies down a slope to about 30 metres, with her engine, two boilers and propeller among it.
- Type
- Steamship
- Lost
- 1940
- Depth
- 30 m
- Location
- Shetland, United KingdomNorth Sea
Deeper than 88 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1940 · Shetland, United Kingdom.
On 10th January 1940, on passage from Narvik to Barrow with manganese ore, she ran aground in fog on Vere Reef, two and a half miles off the Balta Isle light; wartime reporting restrictions leave the details vague. The tug St Mellons reached her at noon the next day, but could not tow her clear, and she was abandoned with her crew safe aboard the tug.
Attempts to refloat her after part of the cargo was jettisoned also failed, and she became a total wreck.
Lost 1940.
Condition of the Wreck
Intactness
Substantial wreckage lies down a slope to around 30 metres, oriented 087/267 degrees. Her triple expansion engine is the largest visible item, with the two boilers nearby.
Notable Features
- Boilers
- Cargo remains
- Propeller
- Triple expansion engine
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 8.5° | 7.8° | 7.6° | 7.9° | 8.9° | 10.6° | 12.4° | 12.9° | 12.3° | 11.3° | 10.4° | 9.3° |
Additional Details7 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Loss date
- 1940
- Latitude
- 60.7072° N
- Longitude
- 0.8159° W
- Water body
- North Sea
- 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 source6 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 6 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 Tonis Chandris?
Tonis Chandris is the wreck of a steamship, off Shetland, United Kingdom, at 30 metres. Tonis Chandris was lost in 1940.
How deep is the Tonis Chandris?
Tonis Chandris lies at approximately 30 metres, North Sea, Shetland.
How did the Tonis Chandris sink?
The cause of the loss of Tonis Chandris is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1940.