Steamship · 1864–1879 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom

Vanderbyl

Her crew got clear in the ship's boat when the Vanderbyl went aground in thick fog, almost within reach of her home port. A small iron steamer launched at Rutherglen in 1864 by Thomas B. Seath & Company for the Lundy Granite Company, she belonged from 1875 to a businessman of the Isle of Whithorn. On her last passage she was taking coal from Whitehaven to Port William when fog closed in off Burrow Head.

Next morning villagers found her lying half sunk among the Screen Rocks, just west of the harbour mouth. Treated as a constructive total loss, she was struck from the register in 1890, and was probably salvaged where she lay; whatever remains of her is thought to be near that spot. Her owner bought the larger steamer Express to replace her in 1890, only to lose that ship off Whitehaven the following month.

Type
Steamship
Year built
1864Thomas B. Seath & Company, Rutherglen
Lost
December 11th, 1879
Tonnage
78 GRTsteam
Location
Dumfries and Galloway, United KingdomWigtown Bay

History and LossLost December 11th, 1879 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom.

In the early hours of Friday 11th December 1879, near the end of a passage from Whitehaven to Port William with coal, she met thick fog off Burrow Head, Wigtownshire, and ran aground close to the Isle of Whithorn. Every member of her crew got away safely in her boat. Declared a constructive total loss, she was removed from the shipping register in 1890.

Built 1864 by Thomas B. Seath & Company, Rutherglen; 15 years in service. Lost December 11th, 1879.

Condition of the Wreck

Intactness

She is believed to have been salvaged in situ, and no surviving remains have been described; the position recorded for her is just west of the Isle of Whithorn harbour entrance, among the Screen Rocks.

Notable Features

  • Cargo remains

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

Builder
Thomas B. Seath & Company, Rutherglen
Propulsion
Steam
Loss date
December 11th, 1879
Latitude
54.6960° N
Longitude
4.3631° W
Water body
Wigtown Bay
War grave
Not recorded
Protected
No
Permit required
No

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

  • Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Historic Environment Scotland.

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 Vanderbyl?

Vanderbyl is the wreck of a steamship, off Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom. Vanderbyl was lost in 1879.

How did the Vanderbyl sink?

The cause of the loss of Vanderbyl is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated December 11th, 1879.