Dive the Lady McCallum SS (www.DiveSriLanka.com)
The wreck and a reef
Vakarai (Kayankerni, Mankerni)


By Dharshana Jayawardena.

Depth: 17 Meters


Lady McCallum SS
The bow of the ship - The anchor rests on the bow of this ship. Two other anchors can also be found amidships and sternside. The visibility at the Lady McCallum is often not the best.

25/05/2013: A fork discovered by diver Yohan Abeysekara of the Sri Lanka Sub Aqua Club more or less proves that this is indeed the Lady McCallum SS! The fork bore the inscriptions "CSSC". This was the acronym for "Ceylon Steamship Company".

The Lady McCallum SS struck ran aground north of Kaludah while carrying a cargo of copra and rice.

Today she lies at 16M depth and badly broken up but is still a great dive site!

 

18/03/2012: Based on historical records, last known location, size of the ship we have now ascertained this to be the Lady McCullum SS which ran aground in 1926 en route to Trincomalee from Kalkudah. This is a British transport (passenger/cargo ship) with steam propulsion built in 1908 and belonged to the Ceylon Steamship Co at the time of the sinking.

09/09/2011: This is a relatively small ship and it stands up right. At a leisurely pace, one could swim from the bow to the stern in about 15 minutes if there is no current . The ship is badly broken up and the only conceivable shapes are the large boilers that are scattered in two areas of the ship. Rest seems a jumble of broken metal and pipes. The propeller shafts are clearly visible yet for some reasons the fan blades are missing.

There is also a small rocky reef on the right side of the bow-stern axis. The combined area of the ship and the reef provides a haven for various fish. While the visibility here may not be that great it provides a great dive.

The identify of the ship is not known. However it is referred to as "Allison & McLeelan" which was inscribed on a piece of metal recovered. This may not necessarily be the name of the ship.

 

Lady McCallum SS
   

Amidships

Large boilers

The propeller shaft with missing blades
 
Amidships
 

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