Fyne Pioneer, Loch Fyne

Site Name: Margret Niven - Loch Fyne

History

The Margaret Niven was one of the iron steamships known as a Clyde Puffer. She was built in 1866 and launched at Greenock, with a tonnage of 41 grt and dimensions of 19m x 5m. Her final voyage was carrying a cargo of crushed granite to be used as road chippings in the road building industry. She was lost on 21 August 1908, sinking in Stonefield Bay when she collided with a rock off Barmore Island.

 

On 10 Sept 1908 the wreck was sold to Messrs Mclean & Co salvage company for £14.

Dive Site Info

The wreck of the Margaret Niven lies very close to the resting place of the Arran III. The wreck lies about 30m out from the base of the north east face of Sgeir Mhaolo Cinn in about 28m. You can either dive the reef on its own or dive the wreck down the shot and then head up the slope to finish the dive off on the reef. The wreck is quite small and therefore not enough to occupy a whole dive.

 

The site consists of a smooth rock reef, Sgeir Mhaolo Cinn, which slopes steeply onto a sand/mud bottom. The whole bow section rises a couple of metres out of the muddy seabed. First there is a set of large winches and bollards. After that, the hold opens and her cargo of road chippings is clearly visible. At the stern, the main points of interest are a large boiler with a tiny one-cylinder engine directly behind it. Dropping over the stern and down a couple of metres, the small prop and the rudder can be seen hard to starboard, perhaps thrust there in a last-ditch effort to avoid the rock on which Margaret Niven ended her sailing days.

 

The rock pinnacle that had sealed the Margaret Niven’s fate is covered with life, making a perfect way to end a dive as well as being a delightful dive in its own right. Kelp obscures everything above 6m, but the wall is covered in soft corals. The best part of the reef is a large crack that runs along the north east face which is usually full of fish. The cracks and crevices are home to edible crabs and squat lobsters, and around the site can be seen pipefish, lesser-spotted dogfish, pipefish, edible crabs, and queen scallops.

 

There are some pottery fragments on the top of the reef in the small gulleys, which may have come from the wreck. Visibility on the site is on average 6 metres.

When to dive

The reef is protected by the mainland to the west and Barmore Island to the south but is exposed to the north and east. Tides are not a problem.

Images
Margret Niven - Loch Fyne - Fyne Pioneer

© Shôn Roberts

The winches on the Margaret Niven with peacock worms on them, November 2014.

Margret Niven - Loch Fyne - Fyne Pioneer

© Shôn Roberts

The winches of the Margaret Niven, November 2014.

Margret Niven - Loch Fyne - Fyne Pioneer

© Shôn Roberts

An edible crab (Cancer pagurus) on the Margaret Niven, November 2014.

Margret Niven - Loch Fyne - Fyne Pioneer

© Shôn Roberts

A brightly coloured red cushion star (Porania pulvillus) against the rusty side of the Margaret Niven. November 2014.

Margret Niven - Loch Fyne - Fyne Pioneer

© Shôn Roberts

Northern featherstars (Leptometra celtica) interspersed with sea squirts (Ascidia conchilega) on the Margaret Niven dive site. November 2014.

Margret Niven - Loch Fyne - Fyne Pioneer

© Shôn Roberts

An orange clubbed nudibranch (Limacia clavigera) on kelp at the site of the Margaret Niven. November 2014.

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