Athlone Sub Aqua Club divers rediscover wreck of historic ship
For several years, Athlone Sub Aqua Club members Liam Sherringham, Derry McMahon, Jude Kilmartin, and Vivian Reynolds have been searching for the wreck of the historic vessel, 'Roussalka'. The wreck was lost in the 1930s close to the mouth of Killary Harbour in County Mayo. The divers knew the general whereabouts of the wreck but were unable to locate the vessel until recently.
The story of the 'Roussalka' is an interesting one. The vessel was built in Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1903 and was originally named the 'SS Brighton'. She was built as a railway steamer operating between Newhaven (UK) and Dieppe (France). At the outbreak of World War 1, the vessel was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for use as a troopship. Her name then changed to 'HMS Brighton'. She was later used as a hospital ship. The 'HMS Brighton' played a pivotal role during the First World War for a number of reasons. In 1914, she rescued the survivors of the naval trawler 'HMT Orianda', which had been sunk by a mine in the North Sea off Scarborough, Yorkshire.
On November 29, 1914, British King George V set sail from Newhaven on board the 'HMS Brighton' for his first visit to the troops on the Western Front. On December 26, 1918, following Christmas dinner with his troops in France, US President Woodrow Wilson and his staff travelled to England on board the 'HMS Brighton'. The following year, on June 29, 1919, the 'HMS Brighton' returned peace delegates, including the British Prime Minister Lloyd George, to Folkestone after signing the 'Treaty of Versailles' the previous day. The treaty officially marked the end to World War 1.
In 1930, the 'HMS Brighton' was sold to Walter Edward (W.E. Guinness of the famous Guinness family who converted it into a private yacht. The conversion included replacing her steam turbines with two diesel engines and changing her propulsion system from triple screw to single screw. The vessel was subsequently renamed 'Roussalka'. Walter Guinness was the great great grandson of Arthur Guinness, founder of the world famous Guinness Brewery. Walter's brother Ernest Guinness, at one time, owned Ashford Castle.
W.E. Guinness, (1st Baron Moyne), was born in Iveagh House, Dublin (now The Department of Foreign Affairs), on March 29, 1880. His family home in Ireland was at Farmleigh in Phoenix Park, Dublin. Walter was a British Conservative politician, soldier, and businessman. He served as the British minister of state in the Middle East until November 1944, when he was assassinated by the Jewish terrorist group Lehi in Cairo, Egypt. The assassination of Lord Moyne sent shock waves through Palestine and the rest of the world.
On August 25, 1933, whilst onboard 'Roussalka', Walter Guinness and his party were departing Killary Harbour in thick fog. Unfortunately, Captain Laidlaw of the 'Roussalka' made an error in navigation, and the vessel hit the Blood Slate Rocks at the mouth of the harbour and subsequently sank. Walter, his guests, and the ship's crew of 25 made it safely off the vessel, as did his pet Panamanian monkey. After the sinking, the 'Roussalka' was surveyed by the 'HMS Beaufort ' in the hope that the vessel could be raised. This never materialised, and she lay on the seabed until the 1970s when she was first discovered by a diver named George Ryder from Galway. As there was no electronic navigation equipment available, the exact position of where she lay was never recorded.
Unfortunately, the wreck of the 'Roussalka' became lost again for another 45 years. The Athlone Sub Aqua Club had travelled to Killary Harbour on several occasions to search for the wreck. With the assistance of the Infomar Team, the 'Roussalka' was eventually located with the aid of the teams sophisticated sonar equipment. Its position was recorded and passed onto the Athlone Sub Aqua Club
On June 23, Liam Sherringham and fellow diver Ethan Devaney dived the position provided. While descending the shot-line, suddenly, out of the gloom of the Atlantic Ocean appeared the wreckage of the 'Roussalka'. To say the team was excited is an understatement. While the 'Roussalka' lies broken up and partially buried on the seabed, there are still a number of interesting items visible, such as her original boiler, one of her diesel engines and a large 'capstan' sitting proud on the sea floor. In the coming weeks, Athlone Sub Aqua Club members will revisit the wreck site to document and film in greater detail what remains of the 'Roussalka'. It is fascinating that this unique and historic wreck has been rediscovered and lies sunk only two miles off the Connemara coastline.