Type: Motor Vessel 1333-gross ton Greek cargo
ship, Cargo: Ballast, Length: 263.10 Breadth: 40.2
Picture:
Wreck Information:
Nine men were lost - two of them are still
missing - when the Greek cargo ship Manina was wrecked on Stack
Skerry 37 miles west of Orkney, early on Monday morning. Five survivors picked
up by the Swedish tanker Vassijaure, were taken to Stornoway. It was just before five; in the morning,
when the Manina (formerly the Norwegian vessel Corvus), on passage from Bergen
to Glasgow, radioed an SOS message saying she had grounded on the 120 ft Stack,
which is five miles south-west of Suleskerry Lighthouse, she said that one of
the holds was full of water and that the crew, 14 strong, were abandoning ship.
The ship's red flares were seen by the Suleskerry lightkeepers. A combined sea and air rescue operation was
immediately launched, with two Orkney lifeboats various ships in the area and a
Shackleton aircraft from RAF Kinloss all converging on the scene. A Force
westerly wind was blowing and there was a short steep swell. The Manina built
in 1947 was taking a very heavy pounding and in fact by midday she had disappeared entirely, broken up
and sunk. The Shackleton had to return to her base when she developed engine
trouble and she was replaced by another aircraft. Squadron-Leader D.C.
Matheson, on his return to Kinloss reported --"When we were flying at 500 feet we
saw three of the survivors on a raft. They were near a Swedish vessel which
had nets slung over the side to help to get the men on board. There were
several empty life jackets in the water and a lot of wreckage". He had
seen a body about a quarter of a mile away from the rocks where the Manina had
grounded. The Swedish vessel was the tanker
Vassijaure which with a British cargo ship, the Afghanistan, had quickly arrived at the Stack.
Harbour / Slip : Stromness
Travel directions: Northlinkferries 0845 6000 449. Photographic ID is required on the ferry now
Parking
directions: Stromness
Distance from
harbour:
37 miles west of Orkney
Lat & Long: N 59.01.429 W004.30.350 On the East Side of Sule stack
Chart:
Depth: 12 - 44m
Tides:
Diveboat: Jean Elaine
Diveshop: Scapascuba
Accommodation:
Suggested experience:
Other comments: This divesite can only be dived with good weather as there can be big swells. If you get the chance to dive this wreck go for it as the viz here is usually 20-30m. The bow sits in 15m and the stern is in 44m, when I dived here last there was a shoal of fish that swam by all of the 40 min dive. And dare I say its in the top 5 of my wreck dives.
Pub: The Ferry Inn & Flatties Bar
Created by: Kevin Heath & John Nicolson
Date: 23/9/07
Thanks To:
Links: Link
Underwater photos:
Wreck diagram:
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