The Breda (Wreck)

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It took just over three hours for the fully bombed-up Heinkel 111s to fly from Stavanger in German-occupied Norway to attack shipping waiting for Atlantic convoys in the Firth of Lorne, near Oban, writes Kendall McDonald. On 23 December, 1940, among the many ships gathered there was the 6941-ton, 19-year-old Dutch cargo ship Breda.
As dusk fell, so did the Heinkels' bombs. One particular German bomb-aimer paid special attention to the Breda. He was good at his job and a stick of four 500-pounders straddled the Dutch ship.
But not one of the bombs scored a direct hit, though the very-near misses almost shook her to pieces. In the engine room, one blast was so violent that a cooling-water inlet pipe snapped clean away. Seawater poured in, cutting off all electric and steam power. In minutes the Breda started sinking by the stern. In the nick of time a tug got her under tow, pulled her into Ardmucknish Bay and beached her on a shallow shelf.
Salvage started on Christmas Eve on her cargo of 3000 tons of cement, 175 tons of tobacco, three Hawker biplanes, 30 De Havilland Tiger Moths, spare parts for the aircraft, rubber-soled sandals, NAAFI crockery, Army lorry parts and copper ingots. But very little was saved before the 418ft-long Breda gave a lurch and slipped off the shelf into deep water.