Dunraven

The SS Dunraven was built in Newcastle upon Tyne at the C.Mitchell and C. Iron Ship Builders, launched in 1873 the ship was owned by a Mr. W Milburn. Powered by both sail and steam the ship was planned to ply the route from Britain to Bombay. The SS Dunraven was built in Newcastle upon Tyne at the C.Mitchell and C. Iron Ship Builders, launched in 1873 the ship was owned by a Mr. W Milburn. Powered by both sail and steam the ship was planned to ply the route from Britain to Bombay.
Three years later in January 1876 she set sail from Liverpool loaded with steel and timber she sailed for Bombay where the cargo was sold and she was reloaded with Spices, Cotton and Muslin for the return journey. It was generally an uneventful journey and she reached the Red Sea approaches to the Suez Canal on 25 April. Thinking they were further up the Gulf of Suez than they actually were Captain Care and the 25 man crew sailed the ship straight into the reef. The ship stuck fast south of Beacon Rock at the southern end of the furthest reaches of what is now the Ras Mohammed National Park on the outside of Sha’ab Mahmoud.
The crew worked frantically to dislodge her and 14 hours after striking the rock she slid off, unfortunately this motion up set her balance and she capsized. She sunk quickly then into 25 meters of water, leaving the crew to be rescued from the life boats by local fishermen.
After the incident the British Board of Trade held an immediate enquiry and found Captain Care to have been at fault.
The board declared him negligent and revoked his Captain’s license, the Master’s Certificate, for a year.
The wreck was known to local fishermen for generations as the shallow depth would cause their nets to snag but it was only re-discovered to the general populace in 1977 when a German Oil company employee re-discovered the site.
The ship was dived on soon afterwards and many wide theories appeared about it suggesting it was a World War I ship that operated on behalf of Lawrence.