Apollo.
The Apollo is the broken-up wreck of a Victorian iron steamer lying in gullies near the top of Bono Rock in the Sound of Luing. Her boiler, stern section and piles of granite cargo are the main features. Because the wreck is shallow it gets plenty of light, but it sits in an area of strong tides.
What's down there.
- Boiler
- Ribs and plates around the engine and condenser
- Stern section with rudder post and iron propeller
- Piles of granite setts from the cargo
- Reef wall dropping to about 30 m
Wreckage lies at about 5–11 m in gullies near the top of the reef, which drops to about 30 m.
Shallow wreck in an area of strong tidal streams in the Sound of Luing, so timing with the tide is important. Reached by boat from Easdale, Seil or Balvicar.
How it got there.
Iron three-masted cargo steamer built by the Barrow Shipbuilding Co at Barrow-in-Furness and launched on 2 April 1874. About 182 ft (55 m) long, 429 gross tons, with a compound steam engine. Owned from 1898 by J M Lennard and Co of Middlesbrough. On passage from Aberdeen to Newport with a cargo of granite setts (kerb stones), she struck Bono Rock at near full speed in dense fog on 15 August 1900 and became a total wreck. All the crew survived.
35 dives.
From the reconstructed log — the dates follow the pattern I dived, so read them as representative rather than exact.