Simplified Wreck Survey
The shipwreck of the vessel Kilkenny was located in Dublin Bay, Ireland, at approximate coordinates 53 20.697 N, 6 6.959 W. The ship originally sank in the entrance fairway to Dublin Port on November 28, 1991, lying on its port side in approximately 8 meters of water. Initial salvage operations involved cutting the wreck into three sections for removal. By March 1992, the bow, midships, and stern sections had been raised and removed from the site. Following the removal of the main vessel structure, the Dublin Port fairway channel was declared clear of the wreck in April 1992. However, approximately ten cargo containers were lost overboard during the incident and remained scattered as underwater obstructions in Dublin Bay. Several of these unmarked containers were reported at various positions in the bay throughout the 1990s, including coordinates such as 53 20.862 N, 6 7.203 W and 53 20.787 N, 6 7.188 W. A South Cardinal pillar light buoy was established in 1992 to mark these submerged obstructions. Subsequent surveys, including a multibeam sonar survey conducted by the Geological Survey of Ireland in 2011, reported that nothing of the wreck or containers was detected, and the site is no longer considered an active navigational hazard.
Surveying Details
HH286/350/01 28.11.91 SUNK IN ENTRANCE FAIRWAY 087DEG, 1.2M FROM POOLBEG LTHO. WILL BE FITTED WITH QY LTS. (DUBLIN PORT AND DOCKS BOARD, NM 14/91). LIES ON PORT SIDE IN ABOUT 8MTRS, WITH ENTIRE STBD SIDE, FROM ABOUT THE CENTRE LINE, SHOWING. (THE TIMES, 23.11.91). INS AS ST WITH QY IN 532034.5N, 060700.8W. - NM 3520T/91. HH286/350/01 18.12.91 S CARD PILLAR LT BUOY, VQ(6)+LFL.10S, LAID W OF WK AND S CARD PILLAR LT BUOY, Q(6)+LFL.15S, LAID E OF WK. (DEPT OF MARINE, DUBLIN, VIA NATIONAL RNW COORDINATOR, TELEX 11.12.91) - NAVAREA ONE 423/91. HH286/350/01 20.1.92 WK LIES N/S WITH BUOYS LAID E AND W OF ITS SOUTHERN END. DECLARED A CONSTRUCTIVE TOTAL LOSS. SALVAGE OPS COMMENCED. WK WILL BE CUT INTO 3 SECTIONS BY BUGSIER AND REMOVED. ABOUT 10 CONTAINERS FROM THE WK REMAIN UNACCOUNTED FOR SOMEWHERE IN DUBLIN BAY. (DUBLIN PORT NMS 16/91 AND 9/92; LL 2.1.92; NATIONAL RNW COORDINATOR, TELEX 31.12.91 AND 15.1.92). NCA, NAVAREA ONE 441/91 REFERS. HH286/350/01 5.2.92 PART OF WK MOVED TO POSN 043 DEG POOLBEG LTHO, 200MTRS AND IS UNLIT. (RNW COORD., TELEX 28.1.92). PLOTS IN 532118N, 060749W - SEE [6793]. HH286/350/01 17.3.92 STERN SECTION (695 TONNES) RAISED ONTO SUBMERSIBLE BARGE AND TAKEN INTO PORT. BOW AND MIDSHIPS SECTIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MOVED. PARTS OF VESSEL STILL REMAIN IN DUBLIN BAY. (LL, 12.3.92) HH286/350/01 15.4.92 DUBLIN FAIRWAY CHANNEL NOW CLEAR. UNMARKED CONTAINERS LIE IN FOLLOWING APPROX POSNS:- [1] 532051.74N, 060712.2W; [2] 532047.2N, 060711.3W; [3] 532043N, 060651W; [4] 532041.8N, 060658.5W; [5] 532053.3N, 060448.3W; [6] 532115N, 060348.9W; [7] 532127.3N, 060449.0W. THESE WILL BE MARKED AND REMOVED ASAP. (DUBLIN PORT NM 10/92). NCA ON CONTAINERS. - CANCEL NM 3520T/91. HH286/450/02 19.6.92 S CARD PILLAR LT BUOY, Q(6)+LFL.15S, ESTABLISHED IN 532041N, 060654W TO MARK OBSTNS CAUSED BY CONTAINERS REFERRED TO ABOVE. (DUBLIN PORT NM 13/92). - NM 1966/92. HH286/450/02 7.7.92 WK REMOVAL OPS NOW COMPLETE. (LL, 24.6.92). NO REFERENCE TO CONTAINERS. HH286/450/02 27.1.93 DUBLIN PORT NMS 10 & 11/92 REPEATED. (DUBLIN PORT NM 11/93). HH286/450/02 9.2.94 CONTAINERS STILL REMAIN AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. (DUBLIN PORT NM 12/94). HH286/450/03 17.1.95 CONTAINERS STILL REMAIN AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. (DUBLIN PORT NM 11/95). 23.9.99 RECORD AMENDED TO LIFT, DETAILS OF BUOYAGE TRANSFERRED TO RECORD [6978]. 10.3.11 NOTHING SEEN USING M/B. (GSI DUBLIN BAY SURVEY, POST SDC REPROCESSING). NCA.
Circumstances of loss
BUILT IN 1973 BY VEROLME CORK DOCKYARDS LTD, CORK. OWNED AT TIME OF LOSS BY B 7 I LINE PLC. 7 CYLINDER OIL ENGINE OF 3900 BHP, SINGLE SHAFT. PASSAGE ANTWERP FOR DUBLIN. SANK FOLLOWING COLLISION WITH GERMAN MV HASSELWERDER WHILE NTERING PORT. 3 MEN LOST. WRECK WAS CUT INTO THREE SECTIONS AND LIFTED IN 1992. (SIBI).