Maritime record MHG25591 - Thesis: Rubha an Ridire, Sound of Mull

NM74SW 8001 7289 4036
N 56 30.0333 W 5 41.4333

Formerly NM74SW 8578

Quality of fix = PA
Horizontal Datum = OGB
General water depth = 30
Orientation of keel/wreck = EW

Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The vessel foundered. Source; BSAC Wreck Register.

The vessel was wrecked in fog while en-route from Belfast to Middlesborough carrying iron ore. Source; Diver Magazine - 1982.

Surveying Details
-----------------------------
28 September 1981. The THESIS is the locally accepted name of the wreck - no confirmation. Its position is 56 30 00N, 005 41 30W. The wreck is lying at 90 degrees to the shore with its bows pointing to shore. The bow is in 15-17 metres, the stern in 30 metres. The wreck appears very old with its plates falling off its ribs. Report by W. Mcgregor, lettter dated 22 September 1981.

18 Janaury 1982. The hull is complete. There is pottery in two holds. The wreck is lying with 15 metres height in a general depth of 30 metres, about 500 metres SE of Eilean Rubha an Ridire, just south of a small bay. Source; BSAC Wreck Register vol.4.

11 June 1982. The wreck is intact, but very fragile. Its tonnage is given as 500 gross, 151 net. Source: Diver Magazine - 1982.

23 Spetmber 1991. The wreck is easy to locate by echosounder. It is stated to have been lost in 1891 [the date differs from above]. The wreck has bee substanially salvaged by R Grieve of the Salen Diving Centre. Many of the plates are missing from the bows, but still basically intact. The wreck is heavily encrusted with plentiful fish life. Crockery can still to be found. An excellent dive. The tidal stream runs at up to 2 knots. Source; Dive NW Scotland by G Ridley.

Hydrographic Office, 1995

THESIS, built by McIlwaine, Lewis & Co, Belfast in 1887 ran aground. Wreck lies 50m from shore, hull remains, many scattered hull plates. Gow points to the shore and lies in just over 20 metres, stern lies in 35 metres. Engine and boiler remain.
Moir and Crawford 1994.

About midnight on Tuesday, the steamer THESIS, en route from Middlesbrough to Belfast, struck a reef at Inninmore Point. The vessel was loaded with pig iron, aand sank in deep water bows first, four hours after striking the rock. The eleven crew were all safe, and landed at Craignure.
Source; Oban Times October 1889

THESIS, boiler is in place, ribs of the bow are exposed. Transits for locating the wreck are illustrated in the source.
Source; Butland & Siedlecki, BSAC Wrcek Register, Scotland 2, 1987.

This wreck was the subject of detailed survey work between 2000 and 2004. Full details can be found in <1>

Further information can be found on RCAHMS's Canmore database. <3>