SS New Comet

[Paul Oliver]

Guys

We did a wreck last week the SS New Comet i think, right on the edge of the lanes, about 5 miles out of Dover. Not in Dive Kent or the LLoyds Registry.

I think i have the name from the MCA, but no info. Can anyone help? Ron?

Wreck sits with her Bow in 30m and stern in 40m, which is a very unusual profile for Dover. Possibly sunk in 1940. Any help welcome,

Regards

paul

[Ross]

Hi Paul,

RNLI records of service 1939-1946 list a service to "New Comet" in Nov 1940 but this was beached and at the other end of England.

Not your wreck but added for interest:

NOVEMBER 23RD. - CULLERCOATS, NORTHUMBERLAND.
At 3.5 P.M. a telephone message came from the Tynemouth
coastguard, asking for the crew to stand by. A few minutes later the life-boat was directed to go to a position one and a half miles eastof Tyne Piers. It was raining, with a moderate
S.W. wind blowing and a moderate sea. The motor life-boat Westmorland was launched at 3.10 P.M., and twenty minutes
later found the Admiralty minesweeping trawler New Comet, with a crew of twenty.

She had been damaged by the explosion of a mine and was sinking. The life-boat stood by her for twenty minutes, then her crew decided to abandon her and the life-boat rescued them. Another minesweeper succeeded in taking the New Comet in tow and beached her. The life-boat returned to her
station at 5.35 P.M. The Admiralty sent its thanks for this service and the R.N. captain of the trawler base at North Shields sent £5 in gratitude for the rescue. - Rewards,
£19 13s. 3d.

Regards
Ross

[kas]

Originally Posted by Paul Oliver

Guys

We did a wreck last week the SS New Comet i think, right on the edge of the lanes, about 5 miles out of Dover. Not in Dive Kent or the LLoyds Registry.

I think i have the name from the MCA, but no info. Can anyone help? Ron?

Wreck sits with her Bow in 30m and stern in 40m, which is a very unusual profile for Dover. Possibly sunk in 1940. Any help welcome,

Regards

paul

Just noticed this - dived it back in 2001 and have it in the log book as the 'SS Komet' which was the name I had for the marks then. Engine was quite impressive standing upright about 4m, past the two boilers. The deep bit under the stern looked like a scour to me.

[Paul Oliver]

Hi Kas

The one i dived off Dover roughly in line with the top of the Varne bank as you leave Dover Western Entrance, and just on the edge of the lanes (Dover side) matches very much your description, also lots of masts and spars, canvas and rope around.

However the Komett or New Komett is elsewhere as i know the bell has been recovered.

The one we dived i think you will find is the SS Hermann, nothing found to confirm this, but it is about the only unlocated one in the area to match the description, being a combined sail and steam ship. Dave Batchelor came out with this ID and i think he is smack on with it.

I need to go back to her anyway as i left one of my lifting bags on her a month or so ago

[kas]

Originally Posted by Paul Oliver

Hi Kas

The one i dived off Dover roughly in line with the top of the Varne bank as you leave Dover Western Entrance, and just on the edge of the lanes (Dover side) matches very much your description, also lots of masts and spars, canvas and rope around.

However the Komett or New Komett is elsewhere as i know the bell has been recovered.

The one we dived i think you will find is the SS Hermann, nothing found to confirm this, but it is about the only unlocated one in the area to match the description, being a combined sail and steam ship. Dave Batchelor came out with this ID and i think he is smack on with it.

I need to go back to her anyway as i left one of my lifting bags on her a month or so ago

Hi Paul, could be I have 2 marks in my book which are very close and one is named as the SS New Komet the other as the Carlton Hermann. The marks came from a certain B&B proprieter from Folkstone...

Whatever it was it was a nice dive with good vis, seemed to have a cargo of cement sacks, stone and metal poles. Found a cup on it with German writing, seemed WW2 to me.

- Keith

[Juz]

Batch seems to think it's the Hermann if I remember correctly.

Juz

[Ron Young]

Hi Paul

Only two NEW COMETS I can find were drifters, one came ashore at the Tyne in WW2 and later drifted out into deeper water and sank, while the other was lost off Orfordness on 20 January 1917 after striking a mine. I'll dig around a bit more, but the coordinates would be handy if you can e-mail me with them

Cheers Ron

[kas]

Marks I have are 51 02 104n, 01 21 154e as the 'Carlton Herman'
and 51 02 085n, 01 21 178e for the 'SS New Komet'. Shown on
the chart as a single wreck swept to 21.5m on the edge of the
lanes just NW of the Varne.

mind you we dived what skipper thought was the Lusitania several
times until we found the real Lusitania was about 400yds away...

[Ron Young]

Paul

The HERMANN, or the one you refer to, was ex SS MOUNT'S BAY, built of iron by Schlesinger Davis & Co at Newcastle in 1881 and owned by Dampfsch., Ges Argo and registered at Bremen. 2,234-tons , 88.39m long, 11.33m beam and 8.29m draught, 2 cyl compound engine 2 boilers 23 crew lost
On a voyage from Antwerp to Malta when she sank following a collision with the German barque PETER RICKMERS on 29 Oct 1906

Wreck lies near the Varne L/s roughly 50 55N 01 14E

Cheers Ron

[Ron Young]

Hi Paul

If it is the HERMANN the bell will be inscribed "MOUNT'S BAY - 1906", nice if you find it too

Cheers Ron