HMS Breda, Campbeltown Loch, Kintyre

Travel directions:               A83 Ardrishaig to Tarbert Loch Fyne, towards Campbeltown. Upon reaching T-junction in the town centre, turn left and then right at the roundabout. Continue along a dual carriageway, passing both the old quay and the new quay (ex ferry terminal). Turn right and immediately left, following the south shore of Campbeltown Loch. Pass the cemetery (on the right) and drive past a row of houses on the right until reaching the widening in the road which allows parking & access to the shore. See the photos below.

Parking directions:            Park at the left edge of the road.

Distance from Balloch:     116 miles

OS Map & Grid Ref:            NR733193

Lat & Long:                          Lat: 55:24:51N (55.4142) Lon: 5:35:03W (-5.5842)

Multimap:                             hyperlink

Site entry/exit:                     Go through gap in the sea wall and enter the water from the shore. The wreck is about 250m offshore and is usually marked by a small dark buoy maintained by Campbeltown SAC (currently the buoy is half-sunk).

Transits (Buchanan & Fairgray, 1995):

1. Porch of Barbreck Cottage should be directly behind the gap in the sea wall
2. Look left and align the telegraph pole on the hillside with the middle one on the road before the white house.
3. By swimming in an east-west direction the wreck should be found

These transits have not been recently accredited & may no longer be accurate if the poles etc. are not still present

Underwater directions:    Wreck lies with bow pointing to shore. Forward section is severely damaged but the hull is intact from amidships aft. The stern is worthy of investigation. The hull is full of silt making wreck penetration unadvisable unless the diver is trained for wreck penetration and suitably equipped.

Wreck details:                    

• Built in by John Brown Clydebank & launched as the Sapphire in 1912
• Steel twin-screwed 1207 ton schooner
• Owned as a private yacht & hired by the Royal Navy during both World Wars
• Collided with submarine on 18 Feb 1944  & was beached near current position of the wreck
• Was refloated in an attempt to bring her to harbour but this failed and further navy salvage operations were abandoned

Site Hazards:                       Silt on sea bed & within wreck can reduce visibility to zero. Boats are moored nearby.

Suggested experience:    Sport diver with good buoyancy control to avoid stirring up the silt

Nearest Public phone:      Campbeltown

Mobile Network service:  Orange +?

Other comments:                If diving in the area, it would be advisable to contact Campbeltown SAC who are very accommodating. Contact details can be found on the ScotSAC website.

Pub:                                       Campbeltown

Created by:                          Charles McGurk

Date:                                      23 May 2007

Thanks to:                            Livingstone Russell, Campbeltown SAC

Reference: Calum Buchanan & Donald Fairgray (1995) Kintyre & Gigha Dive Guide, 2^nd edition, Krisp Print, Campbeltown, 42pp.

Land photos: