The Acclivity (Wreck)

United Kingdom / England / Amble /
 interesting place, invisible
ACCLIVITY IS A STRANGE NAME TO GIVE A SHIP. According to the dictionary, it means "the upward slope of a hill". It is difficult to see how that fits a small British motor tanker of 389 tons, built of steel in 1931 and designed for cargoes of vegetable oil and wine, writes Kendall McDonald.
For 20 years after her launch, the Acclivity carried cargoes of that type around the ports of Europe and the Mediterranean without mishap. Long and narrow at 128ft, with a 20ft beam, she was driven by a single bronze propeller powered by a diesel engine.
On 20 January, 1952, she was carrying a cargo of linseed oil from Thames Haven to Newburgh, Fife. She was off Craster and pushing through some increasingly heavy weather when a huge shuddering made it clear to her master that her propeller had struck something and was now running well off balance.
He shut down his engine and called for assistance, and the Acclivity was soon taken in tow. For a short time this went well, but once some 10 miles south of the Farne Islands, the weather got worse and water coming in through the damaged prop glands became too much.
The ship foundered, but her crew took to their boats and were picked up. No one knows what it was Acclivity hit, but one seaport wag suggested that she might have struck "the upward slope of an underwater hill".
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   55°28'6"N   1°32'47"W

Comments

  • Of course, it hit a Russian sub lurking in the dark and ominous waters off the coast of Britain...
This article was last modified 13 years ago