Sevilla Wreck in Lyme Bay
The sevilla is locally named the Orangemen, she now lays in 44m of water 3miles NW of Berry Head. A good deep dive without being too technical, she is very poular with local divers.
Dive Site Name: Sevilla aka Orangeman Dive Type: Wreck Dive
Max Depth Seabed: 44m Depth to top of Wreck: 32m
Approximate Position: N50,24.123 W003,23.12
Tonnage: 1318tonnes Length: 79.3m Cargo: Fruit and Wine
Date Lost: 25/04/1918 How Lost: Torpedoed UB 80
Minimum Qualification: Deep Diver (Or Equivilent)
The SS Sevilla was built by Wood, Skinner & Co. Ltd.Newcastle in 1913, Bill Quay; Yard No 183. She had a sister ship the SS Salamanca. At the time of sinking she was operated by D/S A/S Otto Thoresens Linie (Otto Thoresen), Kristiania. She was a Norwegian steamer of 1318 Tonnes and 79m in length.
On APril 25th 1918 the SS Sevilla was on passage from Cadiz to Bergen with 8 passengers and 1500 tons of fruit & wine. She was torpedoed and sunk by UB-80 3 miles NE of Berry Head, 1 person was lost.
She is locally known as the "Orangeman" due to the cargo of fruit she was carrying.
Further Information:
http://www.uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/5539.html
http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?10215
http://isee.gateshead.gov.uk/detail.php?type=related&kv=5202&t=objects
Wood Skiner Boat Yard:
Wood, Skinner & Co. built ships in Bill Quay for forty years. The original partners were Mr. William Wood, of Jesmond, and Mr. James Skinner, of South Shields. In 1883 the old Bottle Works site was cleared, with the Bottle House Chapel of 1839 being pulled down and the empty Union Chemical Works vanished. The stocks and slipways were then built on the site.
The yard had a river frontage of 380 feet and six slipways by 1885. Until 1925, when the last order was placed, Wood-Skinners built more than 300 ships at Bill Quay. However, they did not fit the ships’ engines. The steel hulled vessels built there included trawlers, cargo steamers, ferries, dredgers, colliers, light naval vessels and gun boats and ice-breakers for Russia and Norway.
