WRECKTOUR:131 HMT Balfour

AS WITH MANY OF THE WRECKS off Beachy Head, the identity of the armed trawler Balfour was for a long time confused. A wreck further to the east was incorrectly labelled Balfour, and the wreck at this location was known simply as the Two-Gun Trawler and later, incorrectly, as the Avanturine.
Then, in 1994, the bell was recovered and the correct identity established. The Two-Gun Trawler was indeed the unfortunate Admiralty trawler Balfour which, in the crew's enthusiasm to attack UB74, ran under the bow of the Nidd, the steamship HMT Balfour was escorting.
We begin our tour at the boiler (1), where the wreck rises to 28m from a 34m seabed. The boiler and the hull either side are intact, but this soon changes as we move forward past the empty bunker space to the trawl-winch (2). The deck-plate on which this is fixed is still attached to the starboard side of the hull, but has fallen in where the port side caved in from the collision with the Nidd.
The wheelhouse would have been located above the bunker space, and constructed mostly of wood. It may have slightly overhung the trawl-winch.
Evidence of this is the helm (3), which now rests on the starboard side of the deck just forward of the trawl-winch, close to intact railings that run along this section of the starboard side of the wreck.
The stubby three-pounder gun (4) is still attached to its mount and pointing forward and level, though the steel deck-plate below is angled up, so the gun is actually directed towards the surface. This narrow deck plate continues unsupported to support a small hatch coaming (5), now hanging above the main hold.
To the port side, the hull resumes after the break and the port side of the deck is relatively intact (6), while on the starboard side the hull and deck have collapsed.
Among the collapsed wreckage is the arch of a trawl gallows (7). Then, still loosely arranged in the layout they would have followed on the deck, we see a pair of hatch coamings with two pairs of bollards between (8).
These bollards are arranged in a chevron, and would have been used to route the trawl or mine-sweeping cables from the winch (2) located at the aft end of the main deck.
Continuing forward, a section of steampipe (9) winds its way above the wreckage and into the bow, which has fallen to starboard.
Above the wooden decking, a small anchor-winch (10) remains in place, with a short hawse-pipe leading through the port side of the bow (11). There is no sign of a corresponding starboard hawse-pipe, but it was not unusual for small vessels such as trawlers to carry only a single anchor.
Returning aft, debris from the starboard side of the deck and hull is in disarray on the seabed.
A notable item that was not described on the way forwards is a mast-foot (12), which would have supported a wooden mast forward of the pairs of bollards (8).
As the hull returns to some intact structure, our route runs back past the gun (4), helm (3) and trawl winch (2) and alongside the boiler, where a small hatch coaming rests slightly diagonally on the intact deck (13). This may originally have been located just inboard, as the way down to the engine-room, or part of the skylight to the engine-room.
The small triple-expansion steam engine (14) stands upright, and there is a nice arched steampipe connecting to it from the boiler.
Aft of the engine, the deck has collapsed, as has the starboard side of the hull.
A small depth charge (15) rests among the debris. When the Balfour made the fateful turn in pursuit of UB74, the depth charges were armed, and would have exploded as the trawler sank, killing anyone in the water and possibly sinking the Nidd. One of the crew quickly replaced the arming keys to prevent such a calamity.
To the starboard side, another pair of bollards (16) rests against the remaining ribs. Then, at the stern, we see that the rudder (17) has fallen forward and rests against the propeller shaft (18).
While the starboard side of the hull is missing, the port side remains a skeleton rising above. With such damage to the stern, could one of the depth charges have exploded after all? Not immediately, but perhaps later?
The four-bladed propeller remains in place (19), with the rudder-post behind
it (20).
This almost completes our tour of the Balfour. As it is a small wreck, a no-stop dive could be completed by ascending the shotline, or a longer dive by ascending on a delayed SMB.
However, one elusive item remains. If this wreck was known as the Two Gun Trawler, where is the second gun? Some reports put a second gun off the stern (21), so perhaps it can be found. At the end of the dive, it may be worth a look.

Thanks to Dave Ronnan and Sylvia Pryer.

DEPTH -20m 20m-35m 35m-45m 45m+ DIFFICULTY RATING