Farne Islands · United Kingdom · Wreck
The Callers
A steamship lost in fog in 1915, spread from 8 to 30 m
Area photo: gordon.milligan · CC BY 2.0
The Callers is an Outer Farnes reef with the Britannia broken across it, a 740-ton British cargo and passenger steamship that struck in thick fog in September 1915. Wreckage is spread between about 8 and 30 m: engines half buried in sand, boilers and condenser standing clear in a gully between two reefs at around 16 m, and the bows out on their own in 25-30 m.
Also known as Callers.
Where it is and how deep
55.6281° N, 1.5998° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Britannia is very broken up, so this is a search across a reef rather than a swim along a hull. Her engines lie half buried in sand. The boilers and the condenser stand free of the seabed in a gully that runs between two reefs at about 16 m, and that is the most coherent part of the site, the place to start putting the ship back together in your head before ranging further.
The bows lie away from the reef in 25 to 30 m, so the profile depends on how much of her you want: the gully section on its own keeps the dive shallow, while going out to the bow makes it a deep one. Wreckage is scattered from about 8 m down to 30 m across the site. The Callers is dived at slack water, and that sets both the timing of the day and how far from the shallows it makes sense to range.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Britannia
- Type
- British cargo and passenger steamship
- Length
- 64 m (210 ft)
- Sunk
- 1915
- Cause
- Struck the Callers, Outer Farnes, in thick fog on 25 September 1915
- Lies
- Very broken across the reef: boilers and condenser in a gully at about 16 m, bows in 25-30 m
The Britannia was a 740-ton, 64 m British cargo and passenger steamship. She struck the Callers on the Outer Farnes in thick fog on 25 September 1915 and broke up on the reef, and what is left of her is now scattered between about 8 and 30 m, with the engines half buried in sand and the bows lying clear of the rock in deep water.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Farne Islands: Summer and early autumn combine workable North Sea weather with playful, non-breeding seals; late-autumn pupping season brings huge seal numbers but rougher seas and some beach access restrictions.
Know before you go
- The Callers is dived at slack water, and ranging out to the bows in 25-30 m leaves the least margin if the tide starts to run before you are back on the reef.
Dive videos
Diving Farnes - The Hopper & Callers with Rosa M. · Alex Diving on YouTube
Seal Nipping My Fins At 'Callers', Farne Islands, June 2014 · Mark Skea on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Britannia at the Callers?+
Wreckage lies between about 8 and 30 m. The boilers and condenser sit in a gully between two reefs at around 16 m, and the bows lie away from the reef in 25 to 30 m.
Sources
- Farnes area Dive Site Info and Dive conditions — Divesiteinfo.co.uk (archived)
- Farne Islands — Wikipedia
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