WreckfinderBritish steamship · Sunk 23 December 1944
Dumfries wreck
The Dumfries is a British steamship wreck lying roughly 10 to 20 nautical miles off Swanage in Dorset. The top of the wreck is about 41 m down on a 50 m seabed. She sank on 23 December 1944. The exact GPS mark is in the Wreckfinder app.
- Top of wreck41 m
- Seabed50 m
- Nearest harbourSwanage
- ConditionLarge
Get the exact mark for the Dumfries
The Dumfries is one of 466 wrecks in Dorset waters in the Wreckfinder app. Premium shows the exact GPS position to put in your chartplotter, plus your distance to it at sea.
Get the mark in the appFree to download. Exact positions with Premium, £3.99 a month or £19.99 a year.
Are you fishing or diving the Dumfries?
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Fishing the Dumfries
What you might catch
- PollackAll year, best late summer to winter
- Conger eelAll year, best on summer nights and neap tides
- PoutingAll year
- LingAll year, bigger fish in deeper water
- CodMostly autumn and winter
Typical for wrecks like this (draft, until we have catch reports). Caught something here? Tell us.
Tide and method
Tide: Deep wreck. Neap tides and the slack water around high or low tide give you the best chance of holding bottom over it.
Method: A standing wreck. Anchor uptide and fish baits back into the wreck and scour for conger and ling, or drift over the top with shads for pollack.
Report a catch
Fished the Dumfries? Tell Dusty what you caught, when, and what worked. With your OK we'll add it to this page so other anglers know what's biting.
Diving the Dumfries
The dive
The top of the wreck is about 41 m down on a 50 m seabed. That is a deep dive that needs the right training, gas planning and a good skipper.
Condition: Large, intact, upright wreck. mast structure to stern observed in water column (from the last survey).
Before you dive
- Anything you recover from a wreck must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck.
- Plan around slack water and check the weather. Skippers who know the wreck make all the difference.
History of the Dumfries
Built in 1935 by Hawthorn Leslie at Newcastle. She was on passage to the Tyne with ore when the German submarine U-772 torpedoed her on 23 December 1944.
| Type | British steamship |
|---|---|
| Sunk | 23 December 1944 |
| Tonnage | 5,149 tons gross |
| Length | 126.9 m |
| Beam | 16.8 m |
| Cargo | Ferrous elements and ores |
| Top of wreck | 41 m |
| Seabed | 50 m |
| Area | Dorset (nearest harbour Swanage) |
Where is the Dumfries wreck?
The Dumfries lies roughly 10 to 20 nautical miles off Swanage, in Dorset. We don't publish exact positions on the website. The GPS mark is in the Wreckfinder app.
Other wrecks in Dorset
- Aeolian SkyGreek motor ship, 1979
- BinnendijkDutch steamship, 1939
- Salsette IIBritish steamship, 1917
- HMS Empress of India (ex Renown)British battleship, 1913
Dumfries wreck: questions
How deep is the Dumfries wreck?
The top of the wreck is about 41 m down on a 50 m seabed.
Where is the Dumfries wreck?
It lies roughly 10 to 20 nautical miles off Swanage in Dorset. The exact GPS position is in the Wreckfinder app.
Can you fish the Dumfries?
Yes. Wrecks like this typically hold pollack, conger eel, pouting, ling. A standing wreck. Anchor uptide and fish baits back into the wreck and scour for conger and ling, or drift over the top with shads for pollack.
Can you dive the Dumfries?
The top of the wreck is about 41 m down on a 50 m seabed. That is a deep dive that needs the right training, gas planning and a good skipper.
How do I get the GPS coordinates for the Dumfries?
Download Wreckfinder, search for Dumfries, and Premium shows the exact position to enter in your chartplotter.
Got a question about the Dumfries?
Ask Dusty, our Cornish pirate AI assistant. Arrr, he knows his wrecks.
Ask DustyFind the Dumfries with Wreckfinder
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