Rask (Ss) Wreck

Field Value
Rask (ss) Wreck Location
Marine Coordinates (DMM) 		52 10.142 N,6 11.248 W
Latitude, Longitude
Decimal Degrees
  • Latitude: 52.169030
  • Longitude: -6.187460
Name RASK (SS)
Type steam ship
Date Sunk Oct 19, 1941
Original Source Brady et. al. 2012, 143; Hocking 1989, 580; Larn & Larn 2002; Hocking 1989, 580; Roche 1993, 121, 132; Woodman 2004, 253; UKHO Wreck Data; www.warsailors.com
WRECK MAP LOADING ... 52 10.142 N,6 11.248 W
Rask (Ss) on Wreck Map Rask (Ss) Wreck on Google Map
Wreck No: W04190, Place of Loss: 14km SE of Rosslare harbour, Co. Wexford, Source of Coordinate: GSI_202, Description: The identity of this wreck has not yet been confirmed, although available information would appear to indicate that it is that of the Rask. It is hoped that further research, survey work and investigations by divers will some day confirm whether this is the case. The Rask was a Norwegian steel steamship of 632 tons, equipped with triple-expansion engines. It was built in 1890 by the Dutch shipbuilders A. A. Wilton van Reede Czn, Papendrecht, and named the Göteborg. Initially owned by D/S A/S Marstrand (D. Torm) Copenhagen, the vessel was purchased by Olaus Kvilhaug & Co. A/S, Haugesund, Norway, in 1917 and renamed the Uno. It was purchased in 1924 by Sigvart Rasmussen, Haugesund, and renamed the Rask, and was eventually acquired by D/S A/S Rask (Sigvald Risanger) in April 1937. Apart from the everyday risks shipping had to endure while at sea, such as bad weather and rough seas, merchant shipping also had to contend with the threat posed by U-boats, mines and aircraft throughout the battle of the Atlantic. German long-range aircraft, mostly Focke-Wulf Fw200 Condors, bombed and strafed shipping off the Irish coast, as well as acting as spotters for U-boats, earning themselves a reputation as the ‘scourge of the Atlantic’. The Rask was to suffer such a fate at their hands. At about 6.30pm on 19 September 1941 the vessel came under attack from three German aircraft near Tuskar Rock, off the coast of Co. Wexford. The Rask, with 16 crewmen, was under the command of Captain Sigurd M.J. Martinessen and en route from Cork to Newport, Wales, in ballast. Two of the planes are believed to have been hit during the exchange of fire, with one of them possibly downed by the Rask’s five machine guns, which were manned by both crewmen and gunners. The undamaged plane returned and scored a direct hit, causing irreparable damage to the Rask, and she sank not long afterwards. The starboard lifeboat left the ship with five men on board and landed at Blackwater, Co. Wexford, the next morning. The port lifeboat, with 12 men on board, unfortunately capsized several times, with seven fatalities brought about by exposure. The remaining crewmen on the lifeboat were rescued at about 6.00am by the British vessel Wallace Rose. The wreck of the Rask measures 57m in length, 12m in width and 9.55m in maximum height, with an average height of 5.4m. The vessel is orientated NE–SW on the seafloor.

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FAQ

Where is the RASK (SS) wreck located?

The RASK (SS) wreck is located at coordinates 52 10.142 N,6 11.248 W.

When did the RASK (SS) sink?

The RASK (SS) sank on Oct 19, 1941.

What type of wreck is the RASK (SS)?

The RASK (SS) is classified as a steam ship.

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