The wreck of the BURUTU lies in 84m of water and is orientated 260 (bow)/080 (stern). The wreck is upright on the seabed and measures 114m in length and 13m in width (McCartney, 2022: 183).
The wreck was originally identified by the UKHO as the SPENSER (NPRN 274780). Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2022: 183) for the Echoes from the Deep project, following a detailed survey by Bangor University in May 2019, identified the wreck as being dimensionally, positionally, and archivally consistent with the loss of the BURUTU. The record has been updated to reflect that new research.
NOTE: The update to the location of the wreck of the BURUTU means that it no longer lies within Welsh Waters, and is to the west of the Wales/Ireland median line in the Irish Sea. As such, the wreck should not be considered an active part of the National Monuments Record of Wales. It has been retained within the overall NMRW for completeness.
Event and Historical Information:
The BURUTU was a steel-hulled steamship built in 1902 by A Stephen and Sons Ltd, Linthouse, Glasgow. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 3902gt; 109.72m x 13.46m x 4.47m; 1 deck, 6 bulkheads, passenger deck + boat deck 242ft, forecastle 48ft; screw propulsion linked to a 3 cylinder triple expansion engine; official number 115280; international code signal T K D W. At time of loss the cargo vessel was owned by British and African Co Ltd, Colonial House, 20 Water Street, Liverpool (John Craig given as Manager) and was registered at Liverpool. The British and African Steam Navigation Company, formerly of Glasgow, was re-registered as a company in 1900 to manage an additional fleet of steamers now belonging to Elder Dempster and Co.
On 3 October 1918, the BURUTU was carrying tin ingots and copper from Lagos to Liverpool under the command of H. A. Yarate. Traveling in convoy without lights, in accordance with Admiralty orders. It collided with Glasgow registered steamship CITY OF CALCUTTA, also traveling in convoy and steaming without lights. The incident occurred in dark, rainy, and stormy weather. The bow of the CITY OF CALCUTTA struck the BURUTU on its port side, and the BURUTU sank in just a few minutes, with the loss of 79 passengers and 71 crew members, including the master, officers, and others on watch on the bridge. The subsequent inquiry into the incident concluded that the cause was the darkness of the night and navigating without lights and that the collision occurred without negligence on either side. A number of attempts have been made to salvage the more valuable items of the ship's cargo. The loss location was given as 25m west of Fishguard.
The names commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth Naval Memorial, St Saviours Church Memorial, Lagos, and at Middlesbrough Cemetery were members of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve; Nigerian Marine, and Newfoundland Naval Reserve - William Grice, ordinary seaman, age 20; William Ernest Hollis, Ordinary Seaman age 20; Herbert Frederick Chadwell, signalman, age 19; W G Blackburn, Junior Engineer; F A Blyth, Mate; F J Liddell, Engineer; L Mathieson, Junior Engineer; C E C Sorensen, Junior Engineer; and Jacob Bussey, Leading Seaman, age 22.
Sources include:
Board of Trade World War I Wreck Return 1918, Part II, Table A, pg39(3)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results?unit=burutu&tab=wardead&pageSize=20&casualtypagenumber=1)
Hocking, C, 1989, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea in the Age of Steam: including sailing ships and ships of war lost in action 1824-1962, pg109
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Liverpool Daily Post 5 October 1918 pg5 Col 7; 7 October 1918 pg3 Col 5; 8 October 1918 pg6 Col 3
Lloyds List, 2 June 1918
Liverpool Mercury 7 October 1918
Lloyds Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1918-30 June 1919, B1889
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
Mercantile Navy List 1918, pg80
UKHO ID 9945: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?13768
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, November 2023.