This is the information page about the shipwreck Varvassi, the water chart below shows the wreck in its immediate vicinity. The position of this wreck is 50 39.709 N,1 35.608 W (50.633333333333, -1.4166666666667)

 

Open the Water Map of this area in a full window
 

The texts accompanying this shipwreck are in English 🇬🇧, as they are prepared by the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) based on data from UKHO and the hydrographic services of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, among others. They include the known details of the wreck and the comments of the cartographers who have checked the position and condition of the wreck over time.

 

1. Aalesund (possibly)
2. Ajax
3. Albatros
4. Albert c field (probably)
5. Algerian
6. Ashanti (possibly)
7. Azemmour
8. Baron garioch
9. Betsy anna
10. Borgny
11. Braat ii
12. Braedale (probably)
13. Brestois
14. Britannia (probably)
15. Campen
16. Carbon
17. Castle crag
18. Ceres (possibly)
19. Clan macvey
20. Clarinda
21. Cleddy (probably)
22. Coquetdale (probably)
23. Cuba
24. Dulce t
25. Empire crusader
26. Ernest lagouve
27. Espagne
28. Everleigh
29. Excelsior (possibly)
30. Fenna (probably)
31. Fluent
32. G-cbpt
33. Grace dieu
34. Hartley (possibly)
35. Hms acheron (bow section)
36. Hms acheron (stern section)
37. Hms albion ii
38. Hms assurance
39. Hms crestflower
40. Hms eleanor (probably)
41. Hms john mitchell
42. Hms listrac (probably)
43. Hms michael clements
44. Hms new dawn
45. Hms pomone
46. Hms sargasso
47. Hms warwick deeping
48. Hms waterlily
49. Hmsm swordfish
50. Hmsm upstart
51. Iduna
52. Indutionmare
53. Irex
54. Island mist
55. Jgena (possibly)
56. Joannis millas
57. Juno
58. Lapwing (possibly) or south western
59. Lct 809
60. Lcvp 120
61. Leny (possibly)
62. Londonier
63. Luciston
64. Margaret smith
65. Mechanician
66. Mendi
67. Michelle
68. Millmer
69. Minca 35
70. Molina
71. Myrtlegrove (probably)
72. Neath (possibly)
73. Neree (possibly)
74. Nichola (probably)
75. Nw68
76. Nw96
77. Oriflamme
78. Pool fisher
79. Redesmere
80. Reindeer
81. Rosehill (probably)
82. Sally jane
83. Serrana (bow section)
84. Serrana (stern part)
85. Sheer grace
86. Simla
87. Spyros (possibly)
88. Start
89. Teamwork
90. Terlings
91. Tweed
92. U 480
93. Vari solo sailor
94. Varvassi
95. Venezuela
96. Venus
97. Volkerak
98. War knight
99. Westville
100. Witte zee
101. Woodham

 

Name: VARVASSI

Length 114.5 meter, width: 15.8 meter, draught: 7.2, tonnage 3874 ton
Load: ferrous elements and ores: unrefined and refined,timber,animals (land & sea) and birds,foodstuffs: solid,foodstuffs: liquid

Cause: ex-bronze wings, ex-noelie, ex-lady charlotte '36, ex-moscha c kydoniefs '46. built in 1915 by northumberland sb co ltd, newcastle-upon-tyne. owned at time of loss by mrs j chandris. two boilers, triple expansion engine of 371nhp, single shaft. passage bona for southampton & boulogne. went aground in clear weather when the ship drifted out of control while picking up a pilot. salvage attempted but failed. crew recovered. (sibi).

Year of registration: 1947

Water depth above wreck: 4 meter, Height above seabed: 22 cm

Known since: 1947, last detected: 2004

Details measurements/cartography: H6635/47 9.5.47 WK COMPLETELY BROKEN IN TWO. THE STERN PORTION, FROM APPROX 20FT FROM FUNNEL HAS FALLEN OFF THE BRIDGE REEF AND LIES PRACTICALLY SUBMERGED ABOUT 0.5C ASTERN OF THE MAIN PART OF THE WK AND DRIES 10-15FT [LWST]. TWO OF THE WOODEN AFTER DERRICKS ARE AFLOAT CLOSE BY AND ATTACHED TO THE SUBMERGED WRECKAGE. THE FORWARD MAIN PART OF THE WK IS WORKING AND SPLITTING A GREAT DEAL AND THE FUNNEL IS HEELED OVER AT A LARGE ANGLE. (THV BARNDALE, 7.5.47). H6635/47 2.10.47 LIES 257DEGS, 300FT FROM NEEDLES LT, 305/125DEGS WITH BOW TO NW AND ON AN EVEN KEEL. LEAST DEPTHS OF 2FMS AMIDSHIPS AND 3.25FMS AFT. (TH NM 116/47 DTD 18.9.47).

- NM 2634/47. H6635/47 2.1.48 WK IS BREAKING UP. (C-IN-C PORTSMOUTH, 29.12.47). H6635/47 10.9.48 POSN 248DEGS, 0.7C FROM NEEDLES LTHO. DRIES 6FT. (SCES, 2.9.48). H1720/65 12.7.65 POSN N 70DEGS E [MAG], 242DEGS [T], 442FT FROM NEEDLES LTHO. DRIES 7FT. (HMS MEDA, 3.6.64). INS AS ST DRIES 6FT. BR STD. 15.5.69 WK HAS BEEN BLOWN UP AND WELL SALVAGED. ONLY TWO BOILERS AND OTHER WRECKAGE REMAINS. (MR RICHARDS, SALVAGE COMPANY OF WALES, TELECON). H4242/75 26.8.75 MFV 'OFFCUTS' [23.8.75]; MOTOR LAUNCH 'CHEEKA' [24.8.75] AND MOTOR LAUNCH 'GAY MARIE TWO' [24.8.75], HAVE ALL STRUCK THE WK OF THE 'VARVASSI'. THE SPAR WHICH WAS EXPOSED AFTER HW HAS BEEN KNOCKED OFF AND CONSEQUENTLY THIS WK IS CONSIDERED MORE OF A HAZARD TO SMALL CRAFT. (RNW TELEX DTD 26.8.75). SUFFICIENTLY WELL CHARTED. NCA. 26.1.83 WRECKAGE OF THIS VESSEL SEEN AT LWS. (COMMODORE J BRIGGS, TELECON). H1270/80 1.3.83 COMMODORE BRIGGS OBSERVATION CONFIRMED BY CG FRESHWATER. (TELECON, 1.3.83). AMEND TO DW (AWASH).

- NM 722/83. 4.7.83 WK RECENTLY STRUCK BY SEVERAL YACHTS. (CDRE BRIGGS, TELECON). TH INFORMED. H4469/81 4.8.83 EXAM'D 30.9.82 USING TRISPONDER [2 LOP]. POSN AS CHARTED. LEAST E/S DEPTH DRIES 0.5MTRS IN GEN DEPTHS 3.5-4.5MTRS. NO SCOUR. LYING NE/SW. (SCESU, HI 97). NCA, SUFFICIENTLY WELL CHARTED. H1310/83/7 22.8.83 RECENTLY RE-SURVEYED. LIES IN APPROX NNE/SSW DIRN. FOUR SEPARATE PARTS READILY FOUND. THE TWO NORTHERNMOST PARTS DRY 0.5MTRS AND THE REMAINING TWO HAD LEAST DEPTH OF 0.7MTRS [LAT]. SURROUNDING GEN DEPTHS 2.8MTRS. HOWEVER NOT CONSIDERED A HAZARD TO GENERAL NAVIGATION BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO THE NEEDLES. WILL NOT BE REMOVED OR MARKED. (TH, 12.8.83). NCA. CDRE BRIGGS INFORMED. H4469/81 16.3.87 TO BE TEMPORARILY MARKED, FOR DURATION OF 'ROUND THE ISLAND RACE', BY A YELLOW SPHERICAL BUOY. (DEPT OF TRANSPORT 30.1.87 & 27.2.87). NCA. H3846/88 17.10.88 EXAM'D 28.4.88 IN 503941N, 013533W [OGB] USING TRISPONDER [2 LOP]. WK DRIES IN GEN DEPTH 3.5MTRS. LIES ON RELATIVELY FLAT ROCKY FEATURE AND GIVES EXCELLENT E/S RETURN. NOT SONAR SWEPT. LOCAL DIVERS REPORT THAT MUCH OF THE WK HAS FALLEN OFF THE BRIDGE INTO DEEPER WATER. (HMSML GLEANER, HI 365).

- NM 3266/88. HA141/02/01/02 17.12.90 EXAM'D 11.11.90 BY JOHN BINGEMAN TO ASSESS WRECKAGE REMAINING, WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF SALVAGE IN NEAR FUTURE BY CAL-SALV LTD. MOST PROMINENT PARTS REMAINING IN SHALLOW WATER WERE BOILER, GIRDER, MAIN ENGINE FRAME, AND PROP & CRANK SHAFTS, ALL WITHIN 150MTRS OF NEEDLES LIGHTHOUSE AND HAVING A DEPTH OF 1MTR [MLWS]. ANOTHER BOILER IN SIMILAR AREA IS AWASH AT MLWS. PART OF THE WRECKAGE LIES WITHIN DESIGNATED AREA FOR ADJACENT HISTORIC WK AND DEPT OF TRANSPORT AUTHORISED THIS SURVEY UNDER LICENCE. (REPORT: AGENDA FOR HIST. WK COMM. MEETING, 11.12.90). NCA. HH232/580/02 21.3.91 HFS INSURANCE PLANS TO FINANCE REMOVAL OF THE 4 MAIN PIECES OF WRECKAGE REMAINING. THEY LIE IN A LINE 150-250MTRS SW OF NEEDLES LTHO. THE 2 OUTER PIECES DRY AND THE OTHERS HAVE LEAST DEPTH OF ABOUT 0.7MTRS. DUNFERMLINE-BASED SALVAGE FIRM CARRIED OUT SURVEY AND IT IS HOPED TO HAVE THE WRECKAGE REMOVED PRIOR TO 22.6.91. (YACHTING WORLD, MARCH '91). 30.3.98 AMENDED FROM DW (AWASH) TO WK (AWASH). BR STD. 20.7.98 FOLLOWING WRECKAGE LIES WITHIN 200MTRS OF NEELDES LT HO: TWO BOILERS, ON ENDS LIKE SQUAT TINS OF BEANS, TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINE, STERN TUBE AND CAST IRON PROP. BOW OF THE SHIP AND MUCH OF HER FRAMEWORK LIE IN DEEPER WATER TO THE SW OF THE PROPULSION MACHINERY. (P BRICE, LTR IN YACHTING WORLD, AUGUST '98) NCA. 6.7.00 NOW CHARTED AS DW (AWASH) WITH INTER-TIDAL TINT IN 5039.718N, 0135.635W [WGD]. NE 2021. HH232/580/12 21.10.04 HWK LIES IN 5039.710N, 0135.545W [WGD] (CENTRE POSN). BOILER OF WK AWASH (AT NE END) LIES IN 5039.719N, 0135.595W [WGD]. (BAS 1/90 PHOTOGRAPHY DTD 12.9.90 INDEX NO 1932/230). SHOWN WITH LENGTH APPROX 42MTRS, LYING 045/225 DEGS ON PHOTOPLOT. RETAIN AS DWP, WITH POSN DOT (AWASH) AT NE END, IN 5039.718N, 0135.634W [WGD]. BR STD.
Comment researcher: UK Hydrographic Office

Position: 50 39.709 N,1 35.608 W

 

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