Tynemouth, mouth of River Tyne, British Officer
Tynemouth, mouth of River Tyne, British Officer
HER Number
12681
District
N Tyneside
Site Name
Tynemouth, mouth of River Tyne, British Officer
Place
Tynemouth
Map Sheet
NZ36NE
Class
Maritime Craft
Site Type: Broad
Transport Vessel
Site Type: Specific
Tanker
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Early 20th Century 1901 to 1932
Form of Evidence
Wreckage
Description
Remains of 1940 wreck in the form of the stern section of a British tanker which was en route from Sheerness for Tynemouth when she struck a mine and foundered at the entrance to the river Tyne in 1940. Built of steel, she was propelled by steam.
Orientation: E/W
Oral history account from Mr Arthur Lloyd, gunner stationed at Tynemouth Castle during World War II:
'Before the OSLOFJORD, I think it was the day before, a large tanker called the BRITISH OFFICER struck a mine...It was all in mist and fog. They got it in the entrance of the Tyne between the two lights and it sunk and so they had to take the OSLOFJORD round and beach it. It lay there for months. Eventually with the winter storms it broke up.'
Owner: British Tanker Co. Ltd.
Built: 1922
Builder: Palmers Co. Ltd.
Where Built: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Propulsion: Screw driven, 2 x steam turbines, 1 shaft
HP: 654
Boilers: 3
Crew: 47
Machinery: 2 decks; 17 bulkheads; poop deck 113ft; below deck 32ft; forecastle 50ft
Orientation: E/W
Oral history account from Mr Arthur Lloyd, gunner stationed at Tynemouth Castle during World War II:
'Before the OSLOFJORD, I think it was the day before, a large tanker called the BRITISH OFFICER struck a mine...It was all in mist and fog. They got it in the entrance of the Tyne between the two lights and it sunk and so they had to take the OSLOFJORD round and beach it. It lay there for months. Eventually with the winter storms it broke up.'
Owner: British Tanker Co. Ltd.
Built: 1922
Builder: Palmers Co. Ltd.
Where Built: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Propulsion: Screw driven, 2 x steam turbines, 1 shaft
HP: 654
Boilers: 3
Crew: 47
Machinery: 2 decks; 17 bulkheads; poop deck 113ft; below deck 32ft; forecastle 50ft
Easting
436150
Northing
568780
Grid Reference
NZ436150568780
Sources
Archaeological Research Services Ltd, 2009, North East Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment; NMR Monument 908748; Shoreline Management Plan 1.2; Hydrographic Office wreck index; Dave Shaw and Barry Winfield 1988 Dive north east : a Diver guide, Page 55; The Comprehensive Guide to Shipwrecks of the North East Coast, Vol 2 1918-2000, page(s) 158-159; Richard and Bridget Larn 1997 Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 3. The east coast of England : Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, County Durham, Northumberland; Section 6, County Durham (CF); 1989 Lloyd's war losses: the Second World War 3 September-14 August 1945, Volumes I and II Page(s)165;
1988 British vessels lost at sea 1914-18 and 1939-45, Page(s)14
1988 British vessels lost at sea 1914-18 and 1939-45, Page(s)14