Cordene SS

CORDENE SS

Type ... Cargo. Long raised quarter deck, x4 holds, engines midships, plumb bow, counter stern. Poop deck 20ft, quarter deck 164ft, forecastle 26ft.

Position ... 52 59'56,4"N / 01 49'10,3"E

Built ... 1924

Construction ... Steel

Tonnage ... 2345grt

Dimensions ... 86.7 x 12.8 x 5.9mtrs

Engine ... x1 three cylinder triple expansion engine (Single shaft) 21, 34 & 56 x 39 inches

Boilers ... x2 Scotch type boilers / 6 furnaces in total (corrugated)

Power ... 247hp

Speed ... 12 knots

Builder ... Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend

Yard number ... 1229

Engine builder ... George T. Grey & Co Ltd, South Shields

Owner at time of loss ... Cory Colliers Ltd, London

Lost ... 9th August 1941

Cause ... Air attack

Below ... A model of the SS Cordene held at the Muckleburgh Military Collection at Weybourne Norfolk

History

The Steamship Cordene was one of the last midship engined colliers built for William Cory & Son Ltd. Launched on the 30th April 1924 and completed in June of the same year. Whilst on passage from Rochester to Blyth in ballast, the Cordene was bombed and destroyed by German aircraft.

UKHO

1941 ... Lies on an even keel. Mast shows 8ft above low water. General depth 74ft = 22.4mtrs

1948 ... Swept clear at 46ft following dispersal. General depth 81ft = 24.5mtrs

1992 ... Swept clear at 20mtrs, foul at 20.3mtrs. General depth 26.5mtrs. Length 110mtrs, width 4.5mtrs, height 1.3mtrs.

Below ... General arrangement of the SS Cordene

Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd (Wallsend) Builders of the SS Cordene.

In 1903 C. S. Swan and Hunter merged with Wigham Richardson in an effort to win the prestigious contract to build the Mauretania for Cunard. Their bid was successful, and the new company, Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson was born. Based in the Wallsend Shipyard, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the 20th century, most famously the RMS Mauretania which held the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing, and the RMS Carpathia which rescued the survivors of the RMS Titanic. In 1966 Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson merged with the Smiths Dock Company to form Associated Shipbuilders, which later became the Swan Hunter Group.

George T. Grey & Co, Builders of the SS Cordene's engine.

Company established by George Thomas Grey at the Holborn Engineering works, South Shields, 1882

Below ... The house flag of Cory Colliers (W. M. Cory & Sons) London.

Cory Colliers Ltd (W. M. Cory & Sons) London, owners of the Cordene. The house flag of Cory Colliers Ltd, London. A red, rectangular flag with a white diamond in the centre. Cory Colliers were a branch of William Cory and Son. Originally in the coal trade, they became tug operators, taking over several other companies. In 1985 they were consolidated under the control of Cory Towage Limited, and the flag emblem was altered from a white diamond to a blue one edged white. They were taken over and absorbed by Bureau Wijsmuller in February 2000.

The Cordene today

Awaiting divers report