St Abbs & Eyemouth · United Kingdom · Wreck
Alfred Erlandsen
Boilers in 7 m on the rocks that took a 1907 steamer
Photo: Walter Baxter · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Alfred Erlandsen ran aground in fog on the Ebb Carrs in October 1907, a small group of rocks roughly south-east of St Abbs harbour that show about two and a half hours after high water. What is left of the steamship is shallow and scattered: boilers and a few beams in about 7 metres at the centre of the rocks, on ground that runs to 15 metres.
Also known as SS Alfred Erlandsen, Ebb Carrs.
Where it is and how deep
55.8972° N, 2.1249° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is the wreck and the rocks together. The boilers and a few beams sit right in the centre of the Ebb Carrs in about 7 metres, which is where the recognisable structure is, and the ground around them runs down to 15 metres. The rest of the ship has been broken up and moved by swell over more than a century, so what you find away from the boilers is scattered wreckage across the reef rather than any standing structure.
Timing is the whole dive. This is a very exposed location and tremendous swells can sweep across it, and the current on a falling tide is fierce: a large volume of water held in Coldingham Bay pours north-east through the area, which makes for an uncomfortable dive and has a very significant effect on the visibility. Caught on slack in settled weather it is a shallow poke around broken steel on rock; caught at the wrong state of tide it is neither shallow comfort nor good visibility.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Alfred Erlandsen
- Type
- Steamship
- Length
- 63 m (207 ft)
- Sunk
- 1907
- Cause
- Ran aground in fog
- Lies
- Broken across the Ebb Carrs south-east of St Abbs harbour, boilers and beams in about 7 m at the centre.
The Alfred Erlandsen, a steamship of 63 m (208 ft), ran aground in fog on the Ebb Carr rocks in October 1907 and all 17 crew were lost. The loss had a lasting consequence for the village: St Abbs' lifeboat station was established in 1911 following the sinking, the first lifeboat arriving in April of that year, so the wreck on the rocks south-east of the harbour is the reason a lifeboat has been stationed here ever since.
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 | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows St Abbs & Eyemouth: Apr–Oct is the season, with Jun–Sep giving the warmest water and calmest seas; winter northerlies make the coast unworkable.
Know before you go
- The current on a falling tide is fierce as water held in Coldingham Bay pours north-east through the rocks. Dive it on slack, or accept an uncomfortable dive and much reduced visibility.
- The Ebb Carrs are very exposed and tremendous swells can sweep across them, so any real swell from the north or east rules the site out entirely.
Dive videos
scubadiving from st abbs · Richard Riddell on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Where is the Alfred Erlandsen wreck?+
On the Ebb Carrs, a small group of rocks roughly south-east of St Abbs harbour which show about two and a half hours after high water. The boilers and a few beams lie in about 7 metres at the centre of the rocks.
Sources
- Wreck of the Alfred Erlandsen — St. Abbs Community Website
- St Abbs — Wikipedia
- St Abbs Lifeboat Station — Wikipedia
- Wrecks and Obstructions within UK EEZ — UK Hydrographic Office, ADMIRALTY Marine Data Portal
Photo credits
- A single dark rock breaking the surface of the sea at Ebb Carrs off St Abbs by Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- What is surge in diving, and how deep it goesOcean science · 8 min read
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