GLOBAL TERRORISM WARNING
You should be aware of the risk
of indiscriminate terrorist attacks in
public places anywhere in the world. Be
vigilant, and take sensible precautions.
The British Loyalty was a Motor Tanker of the "British
Advocate" class of vessels, built by Palmers and Company Limited of
Newcastle on Tyne, launched on 26th September 1927. Some eleven years
later at the start of World War 2 in September 1939, she was enlisted as
a "Ministry of War" transport vessel, just prior to the outbreak of war
the British Tanker Fleet was made up of around 500 vessels.
The British
Loyalty had quite a chequered career during WW2. She was used to
transport fuel to ships and ports throughout the world to support the
war effort. There are at least another 55 "British xxxxxxx" registered
vessels listed at this time. The British Loyalty's fate at the end of
the war is well known. On 15th January 1946 she was towed to a point
away from the main shipping channels, just southeast of Hithadhoo Island
in the Addoo Atoll lagoon and scuttled.
There are also reports that many
fish and dolphins in the lagoon were killed by oil pollution after the
scuttling and that oil continued to leak from the wreck at a diminishing
rate and come ashore in the lagoon over the next 10 years. She now lies
at longitude 73 degrees 07 minutes east of Greenwich and latitude 0
degrees 38 minutes south of the equator. Her position is recorded on
Admiralty Chart 2067. The ship, which was some 134.3 meters long with a
beam of 17.4 meters, now lies on her starboard side and is pointing
north.
She lies at the bottom of the lagoon in around 33 meters of
water. The ship is now heavily encrusted with both hard and soft corals.
Many fish have made their home in the wreck and large turtles swim
around its deck. This wreck is a must for all visiting scuba divers to
the Addoo Atoll. The propeller is at 23 meters and covered in big bushy
black coral trees. In front of the engine room are two large holes.
These holes are so big that divers can easily swim through them into the
ship's interior.
The hole made when the German submarine U-183 torpedoed
the ship on 9th March 1944 was on the starboard side of the vessel. The
wreck is about a 30-minute Dhoni ride from "Equator Village" on Gan.
Brief History
Launched 26th September 1927.
Completed 12th January 1928. Built by Palmers & Co. Ltd.
of Newcastle on Tyne at their Jarrow yard. Owned by British Tanker Co.
Ltd. Ministry of War Transport from September 1939.
Torpedoed by Midget submarine from Japanese submarine
I-20 on 30th May 1942 at 2125 hrs 5 cables from Antsivana Light House,
Diego Suarez, Madagascar and damaged. (Salved and repaired).
Torpedoed in Addoo Atoll Harbour by
German submarine U-183 on 9th March 1944 at 0800 hrs and damaged.
Converted to Ministry of War Transport Oil Fuel Storage. Vessel.Scuttled
in Addoo Atoll lagoon in the Indian Ocean on 15th January 1946.
