THE INNER AND OUTER SITE, GIBRALTAR

We had completed the pre-disturbance survey and were directing our efforts to establishing the wreck's identity. We identified three WWII armed trawlers as possible contenders and detailed research on these has provided a great deal of extra information.

During WW2, Britain was concerned about enemy submarines operating in the Straits and entering the Mediterranean. The 7th Anti-Submarine Group was based at Gibraltar and contained a number of armed trawlers. The Royal Navy had previously found that the standard commercial fishing trawler was well suited for military use, as were many of her original crew. Some vessels were purpose built for the Admiralty, but hundreds were requisitioned and converted, the smaller ones for minesweeping and larger ones for anti-submarine duties. For this a "4"gun, for engaging vessels on the surface, was mounted on the bow and an Oerlikon cannon at the stern. An ASDIC (sonar) set was fitted, to detect submerged vessels and rows of depth charges to attack them.

The vessels lost in Gibraltar harbour were as follows-

HMS Stella Sirius was a 404 ton trawler, which was built in 1934. She was requisitioned in 1939 and converted for anti-submarine duties, but was sunk in the harbour following a Vichy French air raid on the rock on 25/9/40.
HMS Honjo, of 308 tonnes, was built in 1928 and became a mine sweeper in 1939. HMS Erin, of 394 tonnes, was built in 1933 and became an anti-submarine trawler in 1940. Both were sunk in the harbour on 18/1/42. This was thought to be due to sabotage by Spanish workers in the dockyard, or by attack from the Italian mini submarine 'charioteers' operating from the nearby Spanish port of Algeciras.

We could not find plans for these vessels, but we did find plans for a 'Hill' class trawler. This was built for the Admiralty in civilian yards and was based on the standard commercial design, so that it could be converted back to a fishing vessel after the war. We therefore considered the plans to be fairly generic.

With the help of the Gibraltar government ship surveyor, we compared these with what we had. The plans showed a remarkable similarity to our remains and the dimensions matched those of a standard requisitioned A/S trawler. The shape of the engine room (A) on the Outer was as shown and the below decks space (B) was identified as the PO's accommodation. Above this, the small superstructure (C) was identified as the galley and forward was shown the engine room hatch combing (D), exactly as found on the wreck.

We had not realised how much of the middle of the vessel was missing, but the plans showed a large area (E), where boilers, funnel, bunkers and bridge superstructure would have been present. Also, a large upper part of the bow was missing.
The Inner's open deck area was shown as the main hold (F), converted to crew accommodation in the wartime role, with hatches to the lower storage areas and ASDIC compartment. The bulkhead was as found on the wreck and forward of this, we got our best confirmation - what we had taken to be a mast was now shown as the supporting post for the forward gun mounting (G), its method of fixing to the hull exactly as found on the wreck. We agreed that our remains looked very much like an armed trawler, but which one?

Now with specific search criteria, our research on the vessels produced more information. Naval records showed that on 18/1/42 there was an explosion which sank the anti-submarine trawler Erin in Gibraltar harbour. It was moored up with HMS Imperialist on the inside and HMS Honjo on the outside. Imperialist was badly damaged and Honjo was set on fire and also sunk. This was at first thought to be due to an attack by Italian frogmen, but was subsequently found to be due to sabotage. A Spaniard, working in the dockyard, had placed a bomb in one of Erin's depth charges, whilst engaged in re-coaling the vessel. He was later caught, tried and executed. We were then directed to the Admiralty records held at The Public Records Office at Kew, London. Two days research there found even more information.

We found the full board of enquiry report on the sinking of Stella Sirius (ADM 1/10776) and it made fascinating reading. She was struck by a bomb on her fore-deck, causing a fire and killing or injuring some of her crew, who were sheltering in the fore-peak. She was moored on the South Mole and seamen from surrounding vessels rescued some of the crew and attempted to put out the fire, but with little success. As the fire was spreading towards the magazine and a depth charge located in the ASDIC compartment, the decision was taken to sink her, so that she would not explode and damage other vessels. Her Kingston valve was opened and the intake pipe to her condenser split and she quickly flooded and settled on the bottom. A survey by divers reported that the damage was not too bad and at first it appeared that salvage may have been practicable. However, unconfirmed reports later stated that the remains were towed outside the South, not Detached, Mole and sunk, where after the war, Navy divers used her for explosives practice.

Records on the Honjo and Erin were more limited, but a 'secret' message from C.S. Gibraltar (DM 267/130), dated 28/1/42 gave some crucial clues.
Honjo was reported as 'damaged beyond repair', but salvage must have been undertaken, as it also reported 'boiler and machinery undamaged and being put in a state of preservation'. If this machinery included the engine, this could not be the Outer.

The message also stated 'ERIN is a total loss and as there are no local facilities for lifting her, consideration is being given to breaking her up underwater'.
More confirmation then came when we obtained basic ship details on the Honjo and Erin from Lloyds Register of Ships (1940-41 edition).This gave Honjo's width as 24 feet and Erin's as 26 feet 4 inches. Our taped measurement of the Outer was 8.20 metres (26 feet 10 inches), which was only 150 mm over and taped measurements taken underwater generally over-read slightly, due to bowing of the tape.

Trying to confirm the reports on Stella Sirius, we carried out a search along the South Mole, in an area where author Phil Smith had remembered seeing some wreckage in 1986. We found a 12 metre long piece of wreckage lying on the slope, which was the lower part of a stern section, with a triple expansion steam engine still in place. Further out were other smaller pieces of scattered remains, consistent with the wreck being dispersed by explosives. Another possible clue came when we found a special non-magnetic knife, of the type issued to navy mine clearance divers during the war, lying at the side of the wreck.

As with the Outer, no positive identification was found, but we were able to survey the main section. Then, as Erin and Stella Sirius did the same job and were of a very similar age and size, we decided to compare this section with the Outer, to see how they matched up. The general layout was very similar. Keel size and frame type and spacing were found to be the same. Beam width by the engine was measured as 8.40 metres and 8.20 on the Outer. The cylinder block was the same length and so was the external diameter of the low pressure cylinder. It was a close match indeed. If this was the Stella, it gave a very strong indication that the Outer was the Erin.

In an attempt to track down anyone who remembered the two attacks, we then placed requests for information in Navy News, The Gibraltar Magazine and the newsletter of the Royal Navy Patrol Service Association (the service which the trawlers came under). This proved successful and we received a number of replies, the most useful of which came from a Mr. N. Wood. He was a Petty Officer Armourer, who survived U 81's torpedo attack on HMS Ark Royal in November 1941. He was immediately re-assigned to the Carrier HMS Argus, also based in Gibraltar and gave an account of what happened in January 1942. He remembers a quiet Sunday afternoon when the Argus was moored on the Dockyard (South) end of the Detached Mole, with 3 trawlers tied up off her stern.
He wrote - "Suddenly a terrific explosion occurred. Apparently explosive had been packed inside a depth charge, of which many were on the decks of the trawlers. The detonation caused a fire and an officer on watch on the Argus was killed by debris. I think the object was to cause as much damage as possible to the carrier." He also mentioned that the officer was buried at the North Front Gibraltar cemetery, so we paid it a visit and located the grave of Sub Lieutenant JW Duckham of HMS Argus, aged 20, who died on 18/1/42. Also, for that same date, were the graves of Stoker JA Duthie, aged 25, of HMS Erin, Seaman WI Perrin, aged 33 and Leading Seaman A McDonald, aged 32, both of HMS Honjo and Seaman H Clay, aged 30, of HMS Clyne Castle, a mine sweeping trawler also based in Gibraltar.

CONCLUSION The layout and dimensions of the Inner & Outer wrecks agree with those of the Erin. The condition of our remains and presence of cables are certainly consistent with the initial explosion and later breaking up and dispersal of the vessel. It seems likely that the remains were dragged outside the north end of the Mole, which has deeper water than the south and dumped, in order to clear the valuable protected mooring space. They lie clear of the harbour entrance, not far from the Mole, but in deep enough water not to impede navigation.

The local television company, Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation, made a 30 minute documentary on the project and we were able to include in this Leo Whisstock, Assistant National Secretary of the Royal Navy Patrol Service Association, who made a visit to Gibraltar, following our request to him for information. He was later able to supply us with some contemporary photo's of the vessels concerned, as well as a photo of HMT Honjo's ship's plaque, rescued by one of the crew during the fire and later donated to the RNPSA museum at Lowestoft.

As a result of the television programme, we have also been offered a porthole, taken from the Outer in the early 1980's, by a former diver. This has a makers name & serial number on it and we hope to use this to help us with further confirmation of the identity. Our enquiries will continue, until we find conclusive proof, but we are now fairly confident that the Inner and Outer are what is left of HMS Erin.

On a final side-point, the surviving trawler of the Erin attack, HMS Imperialist, was repaired and returned to service. She went on to sink the German submarine U732 in the Western Straits, on October 31st of the following year.