Pollockshields

History

Pollockshields was built by Reiherstieg Schiffswerft in Hamburg in 1890 as the Herodot, and in 1903 passed to the Hamburg America Line as the Graecia. When the First World War began she was serving as a supply ship for German warships in the Atlantic; on 10 October 1914 she was captured by the cruiser HMS Argonaut, taken into British service, renamed Pollockshields and placed with the Newcastle firm Tyack & Branfoot.

On 22 August 1915 she left Cardiff with a crew of 37, stores and some 350 tons of shells and powder. From 2 September she struggled through storm-force seas and thick fog, and on 7 September 1915, when the fog lifted, the crew saw from the colour of the water that they were among Bermuda's reefs. Minutes later she struck near Elbow Beach. As lifebelts were handed out the crew found they were one short; the boatswain went below for a spare but found the way locked, and Captain Ernest Boothe, refusing to send him a second time, went himself and was swept overboard by a sea. Bermudians rowed a whaleboat through heavy surf five times to bring the rest of the crew ashore, watched by guests of the South Shore Hotel - today's Elbow Beach Hotel.

For decades her engine stood above the water and swimmers cut themselves on the coral-covered steel, so in 1960 the government had Teddy Tucker blast it down. From 1999 police and military divers removed most of the munitions, but shells still turn up after storms.

Diving the wreck today

A shallow, easy wreck dive and snorkel on the reef off Elbow Beach, from about 15 ft inside the reef line to just over 40 ft outside the breakers. The boilers, triple-expansion engine, propeller and scattered plating are all overgrown with coral, and fish life is good. Live shells and shell casings are still found on the site - look but never touch or remove anything. It can be snorkelled from the beach, but surge can be strong on the South Shore in a southerly swell, and on rough days a boat dive is the better choice.