Sunken Guinness ship detected
A sonar trace of W M Barkley, the Scottish-built 19th century Guinness steamer sunk by a German torpedo in October 1917 and now lying seven miles east of the Kish Bank off Dublin.
High resolution images of W M Barkley, the first Guiness merchant vessel, which was sunk by a German torpedo seven miles off the coast of Dublin in 1917, have been revealed.
The Irish Marine Institute acquired the images as part of the national INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource) programme. They were obtained earlier this year from aboard the multi-purpose research vessel, Celtic Voyager,using a towed sidescan sonar provided by Moore Marine Group of Galway. They include deck features and complex sand wave structures in addition to 3D topographic seafloor views of the partially buried wreck lying at a water depth of 56m, with deeper scouring around it down to 72m.
Remnants of the defensively armed, beer laden, Guiness owned vessel, which was bound for Liverpool at the time of its demise, were originally identified as a potential shipwreck in May of last year since they appeared to be lying in the same position recorded on an existing Admiralty Chart as well as EU and UK Hydrographic Office wreck site directories. Subsequent processing of the imagery was completed as part of the INFOMAR programme by specialists from the University of Ulster and the Geological Survey of Ireland.
Viewing the spectacular imagery, Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, said it demonstrated the continued excellence of work being carried out by the INFOMAR project and its contribution to the country’s maritime heritage. The results would be one of the main features at the project’s annual seminar in Galway on 16 and 17 November.
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