More information : Wreck site and archaeological remains:
Horizontal Datum: OGB (1)
Vertical Datum: LAT (1)
Quality of Depth: SWS (1)
Buoyage: N CARD, Q, CLOSE N (1)
Orientation: 040220 (1)
21-JAN-1940: Located and buoy established. Least depth 14ft [lowest base datum]. Oil escaping from wreck.
09-MAR-1940: Buoy moved to cover wreck of COUNSELLOR.
Jul-1946: Reported in position 53 37 21N 003 23 18W, or 143.5 Deg, 5.85M to Queens fort. Swept clear at 23 in general depth 73ft. Least echosounder depth 36ft.
OCT-1946: No change.
16-MAY-1955: Wreck located in 53 37 30N 003 23 30W.
11-MAR-1968: Located in 53 37 26N 003 23 25W. Least echosounder depth 30 in general depth 73ft. Scour depth 92ft.
07-AUG-1968: Wreck appears to be about 250ft long, lying with bows sse in general depth of 65ft (by diver). Least depth obtained 25ft. Scour varies in depth around wreck - deepest part being 130ft below the surface. Wreck cut in half amidshps with bow section lying upside down. Stern lies on port side and starboard propeller has been removed.
22-APR-1977: Buoy now red can, 294deg, 700ft from wreck.
14-APR-1980: Contract placed with Manor Diving Construction Ltd. for full survey to determine if any oil remains within wreck and with view to possible dispersal of wreck.
24-OCT-1980: Contract placed with Manor Diving for dispersal. To be completed spring 1982, weather permitting.
13-OCT-1986: Chain swept - clear at 11.9, Foul at 13m. Least e/s depth obtained 12m.
17-NOV-1987: In 53 37 27N 003 23 30W. Least echosounder depth 13.9 in general depth 23.5m. Scour 32m. Hydrosearch - vertical height 12.6m, Shadow height 8.5m. Length 140.5m, Beam 26m. Lying 040/220 deg, next to a sandwave almost as high as wreck, making sonar measurements difficult.
28-OCT-1988: Re-assessment of video record of hydrosearch examination on 17-NOV-1987 gives vertical height of 8.1m and shadow height of 13.9m on most prominent projection from the wreckage. (1)
`The wreck lies in a depth of 22.2m, lying SSE/NNW, broken in two, with the bow section upside down. Located during an Admiralty survey by HMS WOODLARK in 1967. The first major casualty on the West Coast in WW2, she carried 9,238 tons of Peruvian crude oil, and 511 tons of casinghead gas from Lobitos.' (3)
The wreck of the EL OSO lies in 53 37.43N; 003 23.42W, and is 200m long with prominent scour trenches. It is in two parts with the stern to the north lying on its port side and the bows to the south lying upside down. There are some overhanging secitons of wreckage so the wreck can be dangerous for the inexperienced. The wreck has been partly reduced by explosives but big sections are still visible, particularly around the stern. There is a deep scour around the west side of the stern section. (6)
05-JUN-1995: TH has relinquished possession of wreck and cargo. Buoy has been discontinued. Examined in 533728.4N, 032329.5W using DGPS. Swept clear at 17.5m, foul at 18.1m. The least echosounder depth was 16.5m.
31-OCT-1997: Examined in 533728.4N, 032334.2W [WGD] using DGPS. Swept clear at 14.7m, foul at 15.0m. The least echosounder depth was 14.8m in a general depth of 21m. Scour depth 7m. Sidescan sonar height 7.6m. Length 110m. Width 25m. Orientation 040/220 degrees. Very broken up. Has collapsed into own scour. Large magnetic anomaly. (8)(9)
Wreck event and documentary evidence:
The EL OSO was mined in 1940.
`Arriving off Liverpool on 11.01, at 9 a.m. in a position six miles west of the Bar light vessel, she detonated a German laid magnetic mine. Fortunately there was no immediate fire, although crude oil was spilled into the sea and over her decks, covering many of the crew. Captain Simpson ordered an immediate abandon ship. With some of her boats damaged by the explosion and the steep incline of her deck as she took a list led to some confusion, the majority of the crew, along with captain Simpson getting into the second boat. Three crew members were lost, two seamen and the second cook, whilst eight others were badly injured, one of whom died in hospital. The survivors were picked up by HM destroyer WALKER. Marked by a wreck buoy for years, this has now been removed.' (3)
A British steam tank of 7267 tons which was mined on 11-JAN-1940, 280 degrees and 6m from Bar lightship in the Mersey. (4)(5)
EL OSO was en route from Lobitos and Halifax for Ellesmere Port with 9238 tons of crude oil and 511 tons of casinghead gasoline. (5)
At 11.00 on 11 January 1940 the EL OSO, in convoy HX-14B, struck a mine laid on 6 January 1940 by U-30 and sank six miles 280 degrees from the Bar Lightship, Liverpool. Three crew members were lost. The master and 32 crew members were picked up by HMS WALKER and landed at Liverpool. One injured crewman subsequently died in hospital. (7)
Built: 1921 (3)
Builder: Armstrong Whitworth and Company Limited (3)(7)
Where built: Newcastle upon Tyne (3)(7)
Propulsion: Screw, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine (2)(3)
Boilers: 4 (2), 3 (3)
Crew: 36 (7)
Crew lost: 0 (2), 3 (3) 4 (7)
Passengers: 0 (2)
Owner: Lobitos Oil Fields Limited (3) CT Bowring & Co Ltd, London (7)
Horsepower: 678 (3)
Machinery: 2 decks; 18 bulkheads; poop deck 92 feet; bridge deck 32 feet; forecastle 46 feet (3)
Official number: 146105 (3)
Date of loss qualifier: Actual date of loss
Additional sources cited in the United Kingdom Shipwreck Index
LR 1937-8 No 24238(E); WLB p36-9 (photos); SAB p72; MNL 1937 p135(E) |