Owned by the Northern Petroleum Tank Steam Ship Co., the Gretafield was torpedoed nine miles south east of Wick, (admiralty give position as 58.27"N 02.33"W), by U57 shortly before 1am. The watchkeeper at Wick coastguard seeing a violent explosion aboard a large ship steaming southwards. The first torpedo crashed into the tanker just beyond midnight, the second ten minutes later. The submarine crew must have judged that the first missile only crippled the tanker and that she would be capable of limping home with a precious cargo. The Gretafield was carrying a cargo of fuel oil bound for Invergordon. The second torpedo caused the ship to burst into indescribable flames that was to last for days. Trawlers fishing in the vicinity were first to the aid of the stricken ship and picked up survivors and landed them at Wick. The trawlermen were kind to their ill-fated brothers of the sea, one skipper indeed took the socks from his own feet and gave them to a needy survivor. Wick and Fraserburgh lifeboats had also been launched and patrolled the vicinity.
The crew were smeared by a burning oil and had to launch boats and fight a way to safety through a raging inferno. Three boats got away. The men rowed frantically, sweating from heat and toil but progress was mighty slow over the sea covered by black oil. Worse, the oil was ablaze and fire was spreading rapidly over a wide sea surface. This truly was a struggle against envelopment by flame, an uneven struggle because even the oars were made slippery by oil. The battle for life lasted 30mins. The trawlers had seen their plight and went to the rescue. Doctors and ambulances awaited their arrival at the quayside and 22 of the survivors were landed at Wick and taken to hospital where they had their injuries dressed. The youngest member of the crew was a boy of 15 on his first voyage. He was among those saved, eleven men perished fom the crew of 41, one of them within sight of home, for he belonged to Wick. The Captain, E.Derricks was among the survivors. Two other vessels were sunk around the same time in this vicinity and later the Admiralty announced that two German submarines probably concerned in the sinkings had been destroyed within a few hours of the attack.
Three charred bodies were recovered when the burnt out shell of the Gretafield drifted ashore at Dunbeath days later but identification was impossible. The coffins were taken to Ross Church, Dunbeath, where a memorial service was held. The unknown sailors were buried in Latheron Churchyard. At either end of the bier each time stood Mr James Sinclair, Fisherman, Wick and his son William, father and brother respectively of a lad of 20 missing.
The funeral service was impressive and was conducted in ministerial robes by Rev. Alan MacDonald, Latheron. Before performing the commital service he said, "In days of old the Norse seafarers, the Vikings, came to Caithness. It was their custom when one of their heroes died to place his body on board a galley. then stting fire to the ship they launched it from the shore, to be carried away by the sea's tides. In such a fashion the bodies of these seamen drifted past our shores the other day, on their floating pyre. They too were brave men, dying in the service of their country. We honour them and although their names be unknown, we will keep their memory fresh while they take their rest in our midst".
Beautiful wreaths were laid on the grave including one with the following inscription, "Unknown but honoured - From the people of Latheron".
The tanker finally broke up at Dunbeath the following month. For years after the war the rocky coastline of the Moray Firth carried a tideline of tar as a reminder of the disaster.
The wreck lies just to the South of Dunbeath Bay and gives a pleasant dive in 10 - 15m of water. She has been well explored and salved by local divers. She featured in Wreck Tour in Diver magazine in 2011 and a link to the feature can be found by clicking here.
The Gretafield was built in 1928 by Cammell Laird. Steel built, she was 500.2' x 67.9' x 36.9', (152m long by 20m wide) and was 10,191 gross tons. Her quadruple-expansion engines and LP turbine delivered 874 nhp and she was capable of 11.5 knots.
In 2013 an interesting article appeared on local community website Caithness.org regarding the possible salvage of a large gun from the wreck of the Gretafield, which was subsequently installed at RAF Castletown. The full article can be read by clicking here.
An underwater video of the Gretafield as she appears on the seabed can be viewed on our You-Tube channel.
The crew were smeared by a burning oil and had to launch boats and fight a way to safety through a raging inferno. Three boats got away. The men rowed frantically, sweating from heat and toil but progress was mighty slow over the sea covered by black oil. Worse, the oil was ablaze and fire was spreading rapidly over a wide sea surface. This truly was a struggle against envelopment by flame, an uneven struggle because even the oars were made slippery by oil. The battle for life lasted 30mins. The trawlers had seen their plight and went to the rescue. Doctors and ambulances awaited their arrival at the quayside and 22 of the survivors were landed at Wick and taken to hospital where they had their injuries dressed. The youngest member of the crew was a boy of 15 on his first voyage. He was among those saved, eleven men perished fom the crew of 41, one of them within sight of home, for he belonged to Wick. The Captain, E.Derricks was among the survivors. Two other vessels were sunk around the same time in this vicinity and later the Admiralty announced that two German submarines probably concerned in the sinkings had been destroyed within a few hours of the attack.
Three charred bodies were recovered when the burnt out shell of the Gretafield drifted ashore at Dunbeath days later but identification was impossible. The coffins were taken to Ross Church, Dunbeath, where a memorial service was held. The unknown sailors were buried in Latheron Churchyard. At either end of the bier each time stood Mr James Sinclair, Fisherman, Wick and his son William, father and brother respectively of a lad of 20 missing.
The funeral service was impressive and was conducted in ministerial robes by Rev. Alan MacDonald, Latheron. Before performing the commital service he said, "In days of old the Norse seafarers, the Vikings, came to Caithness. It was their custom when one of their heroes died to place his body on board a galley. then stting fire to the ship they launched it from the shore, to be carried away by the sea's tides. In such a fashion the bodies of these seamen drifted past our shores the other day, on their floating pyre. They too were brave men, dying in the service of their country. We honour them and although their names be unknown, we will keep their memory fresh while they take their rest in our midst".
Beautiful wreaths were laid on the grave including one with the following inscription, "Unknown but honoured - From the people of Latheron".
The tanker finally broke up at Dunbeath the following month. For years after the war the rocky coastline of the Moray Firth carried a tideline of tar as a reminder of the disaster.
The wreck lies just to the South of Dunbeath Bay and gives a pleasant dive in 10 - 15m of water. She has been well explored and salved by local divers. She featured in Wreck Tour in Diver magazine in 2011 and a link to the feature can be found by clicking here.
The Gretafield was built in 1928 by Cammell Laird. Steel built, she was 500.2' x 67.9' x 36.9', (152m long by 20m wide) and was 10,191 gross tons. Her quadruple-expansion engines and LP turbine delivered 874 nhp and she was capable of 11.5 knots.
In 2013 an interesting article appeared on local community website Caithness.org regarding the possible salvage of a large gun from the wreck of the Gretafield, which was subsequently installed at RAF Castletown. The full article can be read by clicking here.
An underwater video of the Gretafield as she appears on the seabed can be viewed on our You-Tube channel.