WRECKTOUR:143 The Schokland

FOR THIS MONTH'S TOUR we are way south off Jersey for the wreck of the Schokland, a Dutch-built and owned steamship requisitioned by the Germans to carry troops and supplies to the Channel Islands.
There are so many Boy's Own-type stories surrounding the sinking, involving sabotage, deception, drunken parties and the Resistance, that it can be difficult to separate truth from rumour and fiction, especially with the confusing evidence of the wreck being part-loaded with a cargo of cement.
Nevertheless, Kendall McDonald has sorted it all out (see history panel). On 4 January, 1943, the Schokland struck the rocks of Les Grunes Vaudin to the south of Jersey and sank.
We begin at a depth of 25m on the bow, where Mike Rowley, now retired from skippering mv Maureen, conveniently dropped the shot for an easy length-and-back tour of the wreck.
The bow is beginning to crumble, but all the fittings remain roughly in place, including the anchor-winch (1), with chains holding the anchors tight against either side (2). We then have a larger cargo-winch (3) and pairs of bollards to either side of the deck, before it drops away to the forward hold.
Descending a little into the first hold, the lower part is packed with bags of cement (4). The sides of the hull are rotting through between ribs and caving in, so the deck and hatch-coaming have dropped at a slight angle while remaining reasonably complete.
Between the forward holds, the stub of a mast (5) rises between a pair of cargo-winches (6). The second hold is similar to the first in that the cargo of bagged cement (7) remains in the lower part, and the deck has dropped as the sides have caved in. The overall structure of the hull also remains complete.
Looking at the general state of decay, I suspect it is the solidified mass of cement bags that is actually holding the forward part of the ship together, and hindering further erosion by storms and tide.
The deck now rises one level (8) with the remains of the amidships superstructure. A mast has fallen across the ship to hang over the port side.
Behind this, much of the wheelhouse and superstructure has collapsed into the bunker space (9).
Access is from above, with additional light entering through gaps rotted in the side of the hull. Among the debris are a toilet and bath, and even a pair of jackboots covered in silt. If you find them, please leave them where they are, as they would disintegrate if moved.
Two conventional cylindrical boilers (10) fill the width of the hull with more debris scattered above. Behind the boilers, the wreck has opened up considerably, providing easy access around the triple-expansion steam engine (11).
From the base of the engine, a small stub of propeller-shaft leads aft, but soon breaks where a section of deck with a cargo-winch (12) has fallen in.
The single aft hold (13) is considerably less intact than those forwards. The port side of the hull is rotted between the ribs, and the starboard side is a gaping hole with a jagged break in the deck above it. The aft mast lies diagonally across this hold.
At the stern, the remains of an anti-aircraft gun platform are turned upside-down, with the four legs that would have supported it jutting upward (14).
The deck beneath is relatively intact, even with some planking still in place.
The last notable feature is the T at the top of the rudder-post (15). The real steering mechanism is hidden below the deck, but this would have been used to rig auxiliary steering in the event of a failure.
While our tour has stayed at about 25m so far, dropping below the stern to 30m reveals the skeleton of the rudder turned to starboard (16). Then, almost buried in the seabed, the propeller remains attached to its shaft.
Following the curve of the hull back upward, our return route rejoins the main deck beside pairs of mooring bollards (17) before heading back towards the bow.
If there is any time to spare, another look among the debris amidships (18) may reveal more interesting curiosities.
Depending on the number of divers and the strength of the tide, which can be pretty big in the Channel Islands, your skipper may be happy with a delayed SMB for ascent, or may require a return to the shotline (19) to regroup all divers for a drifting decompression on a lazy shot or decompression station.

Thanks to Mike, Penny and Giles Rowley.

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