The Kimya (Wreck)

 shipwreck, interesting place

ship that sailed under many names - that was the Kimya. When she was built as a steel motor vessel tanker in Germany at the yard of Menzer Ernst Schiffswerft, Geesthacht, she was ice-strengthened to cope with the runs she was expected to make in northern waters. She was also designed to carry chemicals in some of her tanks, as well as vegetable oil and wine in others.
Alchemist Breme was the first name given to this 997-ton, 240ft-long tanker, powered by an eight-cylinder diesel engine producing 1500hp to drive her single screw. That was in 1979. The next year she became the Chemariadni, and in 1985 the Aldebaran Chimica.
From her names it was clear that she was used mainly for chemical cargoes. All that changed that same year when she became the Elma Torn, was bought by Fathom Shipping Limited of Valletta, Malta, and sailed under the Maltese flag as Kimya. Her cargoes took on a warmer look too, mostly vegetable oil and wine.
The vessel had survived savage storms and even icebergs and pack ice in her first years, and coped well with huge seas. But the seas of European waters didn't reveal their true strength until the Kimya sailed from St Nazaire to Birkenhead in the first week of 1991. As she sailed up the St George's Channel, a colossal storm swept down on her from the north.
When she was 16 miles south-west of Holyhead, giant waves capsized her and she drifted inshore at 53 08.70N; 04 28.00W. Salvage teams were soon on the spot. They removed part of her superstructure, righted her and towed her inshore. Then, to minimise the effect of future storm waves, they sank her onto a soft sand seabed and anchored her down.
Despite this, her entire cargo of vegetable oil escaped into the sea, and the wreck of the Kimya was later used for research studies into the effects of pollution from such oil on the
marine environment.