THAMES
Reference: 54 48’.557 N 001 09’.632 W
Location: 5.83-n.miles SE of Seaham Harbour piers

The THAMES (Official No.90903) was a steel-hulled 930-ton British steam cargo ship that measured: 70m by length and a 9.49m-beam. A. & J. Inglis at Pointhouse on the Clyde, Glasgow built and completed her as Yard No.197 in April 1887; she was launched on the 25th January 1887 for Carron Co., of Grangemouth, who was the owner at the time of loss. A single steel propeller was powered by a 316hp, 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engine that used two boilers. She had two decks, 5-watertight bulkheads and a 15.2m-poopdeck, a 32.3m-bridgedeck and a 15.5m-forecastle.
In 1907 the ship was lengthened amidships in 1909 to become 85.16m by length, a 9.49m-beam and a 4.67m-draught and her tonnage increased to 1,327-gross tons; a bronze screw was also fitted at the same time.
The vessel was equipped for defence with one 406-kilo (8 cwt) stern-mounted 12-pounder (5.44-kilos) deck gun.

Final voyage:
On 26 May 1918, the Kaiserliche Marine minelaying U-boat UC 17, commanded by Oblt.z.S. Nikolause Freiherr von Lyncker, torpedoed the THAMES (Captain W.A. McPhail) without any warning; the ship was transporting a general cargo from London to Leith. Two explosions that occurred almost simultaneously ripped through the aft section of the ship at 1045hrs and blew the entire stern-end, completely off, killing the chief-officer, a fireman and one able seaman who was a DAMS gunner. The master was attempting to destroy the codebook and confidential papers and is believed to have gone down with the ship. The THAMES was abandoned within four minutes and she sank at 1052hrs, while Royal Navy patrol vessels picked up the 24 survivors, soon afterwards. The crewmen, who died, were:
McKinnon, John 41yrs Chief Officer MM
McPhail, W.A. Master MM
Ogg, Hamilton 36yrs Fireman MM
Winser, Richard Lane AB RNVR (DAMS gunner)

PRO ADM 137/2964 - CWGC - Starke Schell - LCWLR 1914-18 Page.218 - BVLS 1914-18 Page.90

Wreck-site:
The wreck sits in a slight scour and is orientated in a NNE to SSW (030/210-degrees) direction. It lies on a seabed of fine sand, stones and mud, in a general depth of 38m, on the lowest astronomical tide. The hull and superstructure have collapsed down, but it is almost intact and very substantial, standing around 6m high, with the bow section to the east where there is a colourful array of soft corals. The wreck used to be full of live shell cases, but someone removed most of them at some time in the recent past, plus most of the non-ferrous has been removed. Trawl nets and monofilament fishing lines are snagged up on the upper structures. Shoals of pollack and cod have adopted the wreck site, along with a few large crustaceans.

Cheers Ron