Charted as VITTORIA CLAUDIA 'entire wreck' in the Marine zone.
Vessel structure:
Lies in position 50°53.82N, 001°01.70E at a depth of 17m in a general depth of 29m.
Sonar dimensions: 90 x 12 x 8.9m. Orientation 0°. No scour. (1)
'In two pieces, larger part to the North.'
Documentary evidence / Vessel history:
Sporadic 'dispersal operations' had begun in 1953 and seem to have been completed by 1959.
'Ex-DELTA - 1933, ex-CAP FIGALO - 1948. Built in 1905 by AKT GES Neptun, Rostok. Owned at time of loss by
`Januense - Societa di Navigazione SPA. Triple expansion engine. Passage Bourgas for Hamburg. Cargo iron ore.
Collided with French MV PEROU and later sank. 20 crewmen lost.'
'Sank... while carrying 4000 tons of cargo.'
The loss of the VITTORIA CLAUDIA was reported by the BBC on the 17th November 1953, the day after the
event. 'The accident happened just before 0400 yesterday morning, about two-and-a-half miles (4km) from
Dungeness. The Italian crew had no time to send out an SOS call. The alarm was raised by the PEROU which got in
touch with the French coastguard, from where a message was sent to the English side of the Channel.' (3) It was
reported that as the vessel sank within 5 minutes of being struck, there was 'no time to launch boats. Those men below
deck had not the slightest chance... we were doing six knots. I saw a big ship coming in our direction at about 15
knots. It seemed that unless she altered course suddenly we must be struck.' Despite good visibility on the night of the
collision, the witness described how the French vessel only swerved at the last moment, not managing to miss the
VITTORIA CLAUDIA. (3, citing 2nd Officer Stolfa, one of only 5 survivors)
The BBC report continues with an account of the rescue by the Coxswain of the Dungeness lifeboat. 'We cameacross three bodies in the water which we got aboard and then searched around for other survivors, but we couldn't
cover the area we'd have liked to on account of so much wreckage," he said. "We had to go very slow. We searched
around till daylight, then the planes came out and they assisted us all they could." A flying-boat and helicopter from the
USAF air base at Manston joined the search at dawn. The five survivors were picked up by the Pelorus. They had
been hanging onto wreckage for nearly two hours. They were landed at Dungeness and taken by ambulance to
Folkestone hospital where they were treated for shock.'
Built: 1905
Where built: Rostok
Bulider: Neptun AG
LBD: 89.03 x 12.58 x 5.63m (2); 88.9 x 12.6m
Tonnage: 2745 ; 2009
Propulsion: Screw-driven triple expansion engine.
Speed: 9 knots
Crew: 25
Crew lost: 20
Ownership: 1905 Built as DELTA, and owned by Hansen and Closter; 1933 Bought by L Mazzella and Company, and
re-named the CAP FIGALO; 1948 Bought by Januense and re-named VITTORIA CLAUDIA