Maritime record MHG14850 - San Tiburcio: Cadboll Point

NH97NE 8421 9540 7760
N 57 46.5667 W 3 45.5333

Formerly NH97NE 8421

Quality of fix = HF
Evidence = Swept by Wire(Two Ship/Boat Drift/Drag Sweep)
Horizontal Datum = OGB
General water depth = 31
Orientation of keel/wreck = 022202

Circumstances of Loss Details
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The tanker SAN TIBURCIO was mined. It broke in two and sank within 45 minutes of the explosion. The vessel was on passage from Scapa Flow to Invergordon. It was carrying 2193 tons of fuel and aircraft floats.

Surveying Details
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18 May 1940. A buoy was laid 457 metres NE of the wreck.

6 May 1958. The buoy is to be withdrawn.

10 August 1976. The site was examined on 29 May 1975 at 57 46 34N, 003 45 32W. Trisponder ranges: moray firth hf patt 1 297.42, patt 2 244.55. Or decca [n scot] red h 17.8, purple a 62.4. A two ship drift sweep was carried out. The sweep cleared at 19.1, but fouled at 19.8 metres. The least echosounder depth was 19.2 in a general depth of 30.7 metres. The wreck is 175 metres (574 feet) long, and is lying orientated 022/202 degrees. An excellent side scan sonar trace shows the wreck lying in two sections at right angles to each. The divers report that the wreck is on its side. The sweeping attempt was inconclusive due to the very weak tidal stream, but the clear water depth can be accepted when the echosounder and diving report are taken into account.
Report by HMS ECHO.

12 June 1981. The site is reported to be a large wreck, broken in two just aft of midships. The keel is orientated 022/203 degrees. The least depth found whilst diving was 22 metres [below lowest astromical tide/chart datum] in a general depth of 33 metres.
Report by H W Williams, 5 June 1981.

6 August 1984. The wreck was located using horizontal sextant angles in the precise charted position and is now regularly dived upon.
Report by T Jones, 27 July 1984.

1 November 1984. The wreck now belongs to Peterhead Waste Metal Co. The highest part of wreck stands 16 metres above the seabed.
Report by T Jones.

21 December 1984. The wreck lies upright in 3 parts, with about 55 metres between each section. The divers report that the oil tanks are still full.
Report by B Greig.

11 November 1985. The wreck has started to break up over the past year. It is still upright and in 2 pieces.
Report by M R Marle, 17 October 1985.

28 August 1989. The wreck now lies in two separate sections upright on seabed. The bow section, about 160 feet (48.7 metres) long, lies on an orentation of 000/180 degrees [the bows to the south]. The stern section is almost at right angles to the bow - about 30 metres away. The wreck is decaying fairly rapidly. A Royal Naval team recently removed the gun using explosives and this lead to a large amount of oil leaking from stern section. This is presumably from the engine fuel tanks as the cargo tanks are empty. The oil tank hatches in the forward section have also been also blown off and these tanks are now empty. A fair number of shell heads/projectiles [at least 20 seen] remain in the vicinity of the gun mounting and these are considered by an ordnance disposal expert to be very dangerous if removed from the water.
Report by Sgt J Leigh, RAF Kinloss, 10 August 1989.

10 June 1993. The wreck is now starting to collapse. The bow section superstructure is rapidly falling in and the hull plates are falling off. The centre of the wreck is in 57 46 32.5N, 003 45 35W [by GPS]. A small amount of oil is still leaking out.
Report by J Leigh, 27 April 1993.

Hydrographic Office, 1995.