1942–1965 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom

Zafiris

It was a farmer, William McCulloch of Cardrain Farm, Drummore, who finally told the Coastguard where the Zafiris was. Her flares had gone unseen and a garbled SOS had sent lifeboats searching off the Isle of Man, while she lay ashore under the cliffs near the Mull of Galloway, driven in by heavy weather on a passage from Rouen to Belfast with grain.

Her twenty-five Greek crew had already rigged a line and were ferrying themselves to the foot of the cliff in a rubber dinghy. Magnus Scollay of the rescue party climbed down a rope ladder and the men were helped up one by one; four went to hospital in Stranraer. One crewman had left on a life raft, and a sea and air search found only the raft.

Built at Gothenburg by A/B Lindholmen in 1942, she was holed when she struck in 1965 and broke her back in the storms that followed; her remains lie on the rocky seabed there.

Year built
1942A/B Lindholmen of Gotheburg
Lost
1965
Location
Dumfries and Galloway, United KingdomNorth Channel

History and LossLost 1965 · Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom.

At around 5am on Friday 17th December 1965, in heavy weather and poor visibility, she struck Old Mill Point, roughly a mile and a half from the Mull of Galloway on its west-north-west side. Once her position was known, the Drummore Lifesaving Team and the Portpatrick lifeboat were both called out, and coastguards hung a rope ladder from the top of the 200-foot cliff.

Four crewmen went to hospital: three with exposure, one burned while firing the flares.

Built 1942 by A/B Lindholmen of Gotheburg; 23 years in service. Lost 1965.

Condition of the Wreck

Intactness

She was extensively holed as she went ashore, her holds flooded, and she broke her back in stormy conditions later that month. Various sources report later salvage, but parts of her remain on the rocky bottom there.

Notable Features

  • Cargo remains

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

Builder
A/B Lindholmen of Gotheburg
Propulsion
Diesel
Loss date
1965
Latitude
54.6384° N
Longitude
4.9028° W
Water body
North Channel
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.
  • Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.

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 Zafiris?

Zafiris is the wreck of a ship, off Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom. Zafiris was lost in 1965.

How did the Zafiris sink?

The cause of the loss of Zafiris is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1965.