Owned by the North of Scotland and Orkney and Shetland Steam Navigation Company the St. Nicholas was an iron screw steamer that closely resembled the St Clair and photographs of the two have been confused, but the two ships did in fact differ in the design of both bows and stern. It is obvious from their records as well as from their appearance that the two ships were peculiarly interchangeable and between them they carried almost complete repsonsibility for the Caithness and west side services for a great many years. The St Nicholas was on the Caithness run in summer and winter from 1871-4, during the whole or part of the summer from 1876-87 and in 1913 and in winter from 1877-1900. She was on the west side during part of the summer in most years from 1884-1905 and during all or part of the winter from 1896-1906, in 1911-12 and 1913-14 and in winter from 1907-11 she was on the Stromness and Lerwick run. She appeared less regularly on the east side of the islands but she ran to Kirkwall and Lerwick in summer intermittently from 1870-99 and regularly from 1906-12 and in winter she sometimes did the weekend run relieving in 1885-7 and 1893-6. She pioneered the direct Aberdeen-Lerwick service in the summer of 1891.
The St. Nicholas ran aground at the entrance to Wick harbour on 17 June 1914 at approx 7.45pm, during a heavy fog after having sailed from Scabster at about 6pm, to load a consignment of herring at Wick for Leith. After encountering a heavy fog when coming near Wick speed was reduced. The sound of a horn was heard and thinking it was the Wick pilots blowing the fog-horn, she made for the direction from which the sound was coming, with the result that she ran onto the rocks. Boats were at once lowered and all of her passengers and 21 of a crew escaped. She settled onto a sloping ledge but was not holed, however she slipped off and sank in deep water at about 4am the following morning, when the tide ebbed and she became a total loss. The ship was insured but not the cargo or live stock.
Some of her cargo of sheep and 'cattle beasts' swam ashore with a pilot boat towing one bullock into the harbour. The rest of her cargo consisted mainly of empty boxes. Salvage work was suspended by the outbreak of WW1.
It is believed that she was one of the first British ships to carry echo-sounding equipment, although this was probably a depth-sounder according to a letter to the 'John o' Groat Journal' from a Mr A.W.McRobb, following a previous article on 18 June 1993.
The wreck is a popular local dive although the St. Nicholas is now badly broken up in approximately 20m of water. The propellor, boiler, engine, rudder and some hull plates still remain. Due to strong currents however, the St. Nicholas is best dived during slack water.
A plate recovered from the wreck and under the possession of local man, Dane Sutherland, states that the vessel was, "capable of carrying 82 first class passengers if not occupied by cows or other encumbrances".
The St. Nicholas was built of iron at Whiteinch in 1871. She was 227.5' long, 27.2' wide and with a draught of 15.4'. She was 787 gross registered tons, 445 tons net.
A short underwater video of the St. Nicholas as she appears on the seabed can be viewed on our You-Tube channel.
The Board of Trade Wreck Report for the loss of the St. Nicholas can be found by clicking here.
The St. Nicholas ran aground at the entrance to Wick harbour on 17 June 1914 at approx 7.45pm, during a heavy fog after having sailed from Scabster at about 6pm, to load a consignment of herring at Wick for Leith. After encountering a heavy fog when coming near Wick speed was reduced. The sound of a horn was heard and thinking it was the Wick pilots blowing the fog-horn, she made for the direction from which the sound was coming, with the result that she ran onto the rocks. Boats were at once lowered and all of her passengers and 21 of a crew escaped. She settled onto a sloping ledge but was not holed, however she slipped off and sank in deep water at about 4am the following morning, when the tide ebbed and she became a total loss. The ship was insured but not the cargo or live stock.
Some of her cargo of sheep and 'cattle beasts' swam ashore with a pilot boat towing one bullock into the harbour. The rest of her cargo consisted mainly of empty boxes. Salvage work was suspended by the outbreak of WW1.
It is believed that she was one of the first British ships to carry echo-sounding equipment, although this was probably a depth-sounder according to a letter to the 'John o' Groat Journal' from a Mr A.W.McRobb, following a previous article on 18 June 1993.
The wreck is a popular local dive although the St. Nicholas is now badly broken up in approximately 20m of water. The propellor, boiler, engine, rudder and some hull plates still remain. Due to strong currents however, the St. Nicholas is best dived during slack water.
A plate recovered from the wreck and under the possession of local man, Dane Sutherland, states that the vessel was, "capable of carrying 82 first class passengers if not occupied by cows or other encumbrances".
The St. Nicholas was built of iron at Whiteinch in 1871. She was 227.5' long, 27.2' wide and with a draught of 15.4'. She was 787 gross registered tons, 445 tons net.
A short underwater video of the St. Nicholas as she appears on the seabed can be viewed on our You-Tube channel.
The Board of Trade Wreck Report for the loss of the St. Nicholas can be found by clicking here.