[Fairfield]

In January 1974,the Greek general cargo ship CAPTAYANNIS at anchor in the Clyde waiting to enter James Watt Dock in Greenock with a sugar cargo dragged her anchor in bad weather and struck the BP tanker BRITISH LIGHT also at anchor after completing repairs in Glasgow.
CAPTAYANNIS was holed and began to settle on her port side.Her crew were all taken off without any serious injury.
She settled on a sandbank and not beng a navigational hazard has remained ever since.I understand a family was rescued recently by lifeboat after somehow getting out to her and having a picnic on the side of the hull!
Pics show her in happier times taken by Robin Wilson.She was a fairly regular visitor.Another,a press cutting of her on her side and a shot of BRITISH LIGHT in Glasgow when proceeding to drydock.

[Aristo]

do you have any information on her past (name, date built)?

[Hendo!]

From the book 'Clyde Shipwrecks' by Peter Moir and Ian Crawford.

Captayannis - 2620nt. Steel motor vessel. Built by Nakskov Skibs A.S. Denmark. Launched 1946. (Ex. Norden).

Dimensions 396.7' x 56.3' x 25'

The wreck is visible on Google Earth.

[Alistair Black]

From Google Earth, the Tail o' the Bank with the Captayannis.

Alistair.

[Hendo!]

From Google Earth, a close up of Captayannis.

[Rennie Cameron]

I am certain she had a B&W 4 stroke installed as I checked at the time......it was a lousy day that Sunday....blowing a hooly! She was an "adopted" ship at a Greenck School I recall.

[nigelcollett]

Hi All

Are you sure its the Captayannis and not the Kaptayannis (ex Brighton - Chapman & Willan). Comparing to the pic of the Brighton it is very similar structurally.

Regards

NigelC

[GALTRA]

From Llyods Reg. 1974-75 ---- Captayannis Built by A/S Nakskov Skibbs.-Nkv, and launched Sept. 1946 as Norden. 1963 Sold to M.& S.J. Paleocrassas Bros; Piraeus. Greek. 4576gt 2620nt. 418' x 56'.4'' x 24'.8'' overall length, etc. Engine B. & W. 4SA 6Cy. 740x1500mm. 2300bhp. Hendo!, Clyde Shipwrecksdoes indeed give differant and strange dimensions.., but she is the same ship.

[Gulpers]

Nigel,

I've just checked Lloyds Register and it confirms that all the details previously posted on CAPTAYANNIS (ex NORDEN, built 1946, 8459 DWT, 4576 GT) are correct.

The circumstances surrounding the sinking also agree with Fairfield's original post.

Her sugar cargo, which she was waiting to discharge in Greenock's James Watt Dock, had been loaded in Lourenco Marques.

[Rennie Cameron]

Yep guys remember it well......saw it at lunchtime and she was gone later in the afternoon I recall. The years have taken their toll on its paint job I recall from a few weeks ago! I had a quick look at the thumbnail Nigel and even on first glance your funnel was a bit posh! Nope, troops accounts are accurate.....many jokes in Greenock about the sugar in the water at that time!

[Gulpers]

Rennie,

Sweetened water - yes, I remember all the comments at the time.

I'll see her again in a couple of weeks. She is clearly visible from my mother's house on the Esplanade.

[Alistair Black]

My parents have a picture of me which was taken in the Lyle Park just after my 8th birthday, almost certainly early afternoon Sun 27/1/74.

Must get the folks to dig out that picture, it may be the last one taken of Captayannis upright!

[Scottseng]

If I recall correctly the B.P.tanker was waiting to enter the Scott Lithgow D/dock prior to a Greek company.

[Rennie Cameron]

Scottseng, I seem to recall the Light was going for scrap. In thinking back the SL drydock (in these commercial days would have been too big anyway woulod it not?). Every time I read this thread I recall that day. Bucketing rain carrying a baby and all the stuff that entails. For nostalgias sake we were visiting my wifes ex "Provy Bank" boss. Memory still fresh on useless things

[Rennie Cameron]

Scottseng....did you live in Gourock? I was with Clyde Shipping for a brief interlude after I left deep sea

[Fairfield]

Definitely CAPTAYANNIS ex- NORDEN January 1974.

[jimmyjenk]

I was born and brought up in Helensburgh and it has always been called the "sugar ship", anywhere else in the world it would have been called "the Captayannis wreck".
Fairly recently I was on a vessel doing DP trials in the area. Someone on board said (referring to the Keongsburg engineers) "I hope those guys know what they're doing, we're getting awfie close to that island!"
If I had been an informed individual, and not from Helensburgh, I would have said it's the Captayannis. But I said "that's no island that's the sugar ship"

[mad955i]

Originally Posted by jimmyjenk

I was born and brought up in Helensburgh and it has always been called the "sugar ship"

I was born in Greenock, Forsythe Street in the West End, and we've always called it the "sugar boat".

I remember the night it happened - I was staying at my aunts, in Belville Street, and everyone was watching it. I was quite young at the time, 3, but for some bizarre reason I seem to remember being able to hear the commotion despite being probably at least a mile away as the crow flies, possibly more.

I can remember going up to Lyle's Hill the next day, with my dad, and looking at the ship via binoculars. Several days later we went to visit the wreck on a tug, it was quite a sight being able to get so close.

I left Greenock in 1975, moving to Kilmalcolm for a year, then to Beith, and then finally to England in 1981, but my over-riding memory of Greenock is the boat in the Clyde.......... and the constant rain!!!