SS Express – a group of British technical divers have identified a shipwreck from 1918

On Scapa Flow, technical divers surveying wrecks off the coast of Orkney have identified the wreck of the 1918 ship SS Express.

The group of experienced technical divers who recently reported on the discovery of the wreck of the Royal Navy landing craft tank (LCT) have once again made the headlines in the UK media. This time with the identification of the wreck of the cargo ship SS Express, which sank in a maritime collision.

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Last voyage

The SS Express sank on 9th February 1918 north of Scapa Flow after a collision with another ship. The British cargo vessel was at that time sailing from Leith (a district of Edinburgh since 1920) to Kirkwall in Orkney. Unfortunately, almost at the end of her journey, a collision occurred with the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Grenville.

The tragedy, which took place off the coast of Pentland Skerries, claimed the lives of 13 people, 11 members of the crew and two passengers. Following the collision, the SS Express was so badly damaged that the ship broke in two and sank.

The discovery

The British divers were very excited about the discovery. Speaking to BBC radio, they reported that the whole expedition that led to the identification of the ship took a lot of preparation.

They also stated that they were very happy because they had managed to bring some closure to a tragic story that had a huge impact on the local community. After all, the crew of the ship were mostly local men. The identification of the wreck was something very important for their families.

The thing about diving in these areas north of Scapa Flow is the water clarity improves dramatically. With our modern torches we can bring back some fantastic images of these lost ships – said Rick Ayrton.

SS Express

The ship was built in 1881 at the Scottish shipyard Seath T. B. & Co. in Glasgow. At the time, as SS Hebridean, she was part of the fleet of Hendry, Mccallum Co. – Glasgow Steam Coasters Co. In 1917 the vessel was bought by Cooper W. & Son, from Kirkwall, and renamed to SS Express.

The iron-hulled vessel was 42.6m long and 7.2m wide. The ship was powered by a single two-cylinder steam engine, fed by one boiler, which provided the vessel with a power of 70 n.p.h.

Head photo: Rick Ayrton