Relic of the carr crash

Photo: Map Photo: Mike Clark Photo: Mike Clark Photo: Mike Clark Photo: Mike Clark

Just over a century ago, the Danish steamer Alfred Erlandsen struck the treacherous Ebb Carrs in dense fog and stormy seas. It is a disaster that has not been forgotten by the residents of St Abbs – a new memorial plaque was placed in nearby Coldingham last October to mark the centenary of the tragedy.

On the night of 17 October 1907, thick fog hovered above the rough seas that crashed against the rocks. In these awful conditions, the Alfred Erlandsen hit Ebb Carrs just 500m southeast of St Abbs harbour at 8.30pm. Villagers could hear the ship’s steam whistle and intermittent shouts of the 16-strong crew above the noise of the surf.

Lifeboats were launched from Eyemouth and Skateraw, while the Eyemouth Rocket Lifesaving Brigade’s horse-drawn cart also thundered towards the scene. It arrived at Castle Rock Villa, which was the nearest point of land to the wreck. The rescue party fired six rockets attached to lifesaving apparatus, but none reached their target.

By now, though, there were no more sounds coming from the ship.

The Eyemouth lifeboat arrived just before midnight and made a circuit of the wreck – a dangerous task, as the ship’s cargo of pit props and timber was loose in the sea. There were no signs of life, so the boat returned to port. The Skateraw lifeboat battled through the mountainous seas, arriving after about 2am. The spilled timber smashed against the lifeboat’s hull, but the crew did not leave until permission was received from shore. They then made for home, completing an exhausting ten-hour round trip in terrifying conditions.

By dawn, the Alfred Erlandsen was completely smashed on the rocks. All of the crew perished. There was one survivor from the wreck, though: a large Great Dane, who was christened Carro after Carr Rock and found a home in St Abbs.

THE DIVE

Ebb Carrs must be one of the most underrated dive sites at St Abbs, despite it being only 500m from the harbour. Perhaps it’s just too close to shore to be taken seriously, especially when the majestic headland and spectacular diving at St Abb’s Head beckons. However, this site should not be missed, as its marine life, terrain and, of course, all that interesting wreckage of the Alfred Erlandsen is equally impressive.

Ebb Carrs is a large pinnacle of rock surrounded by gullies and reefs. It rises from 15m and breaks the surface at low tide. Peter Gibson, skipper of the dive boat Selkie, took me to the wreck site, where I dropped straight into a scenic gully. The tides surge around these rocks and the marine life – dense coverings of dead men’s fingers and plumose anemones – reflects this. Narrow kelp-topped gullies shelter vast schools of coalfish, and there are groups of the biggest ballan wrasse I have ever seen here. The cracks and crevices are filled with edible crabs and lobster – more velvet-backed swimming crabs now seem to fill the holes. Like pipefish, they have experienced a population explosion over the last few years, perhaps due to the warming of our seas by climate change. Nudibranchs are common, and I also came across a lovely Yarrell’s blenny.

All this life already marked the site as a top dive, but when the tide pushed me gently into the next gully and the colourful remains of the Alfred Erlandsen came into view, it was simply amazing. A large intact boiler sits in the middle of the gully – check out its holes and you will find scorpionfish, squat lobsters and blennies all over it. Further up the gully, winches and plates lie strewn over the sea floor and mooring bollards sit in the kelp.

My favourite part of the wreck is a second boiler, which is ruptured so that all the inner piping can be seen. It’s home to big pollack and cod and is totally covered in soft corals. This boiler sits on top of a ridge where the gully restarts its decent to the sea floor. There are more broken plates and fittings here, as well as a large winch, and in the next gully is the Alfred Erlandsen’s large four-bladed propeller.

This dive has got it all: beautiful scenic gullies, a magnificent shipwreck and masses of marine life. I would even say that this is a better dive than the Glanmire, which is regarded as the foremost wreck site at St Abbs. The crew and the wreck of the Alfred Erlandsen have found a lovely resting place.

CONTACT

Selkie Dive Boat
Tel: 018907 71681
Mobile: 0770 268 7606
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For a list of local BSAC branches go to www.bsac.org/page/211/scotland.htm