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Steam Locomotives aboard the "St. Chamond" wreck *PIC*
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Author:  James Hefner [ Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Steam Locomotives aboard the "St. Chamond" wreck *PIC*
All,

Some time back, I recieved an e-mail from someone telling me about a dive on the wreck of the freighter "St. Chamond" off St. Ives, Cornwall, UK. He had told me there were two steam locomotives on board, but had no more details than that. I have had them listed in "Surviving World Steam Locomotives" since then.

I tried at that time to find out more about the St. Chamond wreck on the web, to no avail. Last night, I hit "paydirt", as the link below features details, a drawing of the wreck site (linked to below), underwater photographs, and a story of it's sinking!

It turns out that they are 4-6-0s, and that there are six, maybe seven of them. The St. Chamond was torpedoed in 1918 on it's way to France. In looking at the photographs, thinking about the time frame it went down, and knowing what little I know about about steam locomotives sent to France during WWI, I am thinking that they are in fact some more of the Baldwin 10-12-D 4-6-0T trench engines built during 1917. (A survivor from Queensland was mentioned in a recent post.)

Anybody have an idea if that is correct? If so, and if my records are complete, there are as many of these sunk aboard the St. Chamond (6-7) as there are surviving on dry land (6).

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Wreck of the "St. Chamond"
Image
Author:  Ed Fritz [ Wed Jan 21, 2004 1:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steam Locomotives aboard the "St. Chamond" wre
> All,

> Some time back, I recieved an e-mail from
> someone telling me about a dive on the wreck
> of the freighter "St. Chamond" off
> St. Ives, Cornwall, UK. He had told me there
> were two steam locomotives on board, but had
> no more details than that. I have had them
> listed in "Surviving World Steam
> Locomotives" since then.

> I tried at that time to find out more about
> the St. Chamond wreck on the web, to no
> avail. Last night, I hit
> "paydirt", as the link below
> features details, a drawing of the wreck
> site (linked to below), underwater
> photographs, and a story of it's sinking!

> It turns out that they are 4-6-0s, and that
> there are six, maybe seven of them. The St.
> Chamond was torpedoed in 1918 on it's way to
> France. In looking at the photographs,
> thinking about the time frame it went down,
> and knowing what little I know about about
> steam locomotives sent to France during WWI,
> I am thinking that they are in fact some
> more of the Baldwin 10-12-D 4-6-0T trench
> engines built during 1917. (A survivor from
> Queensland was mentioned in a recent post.)

> Anybody have an idea if that is correct? If
> so, and if my records are complete, there
> are as many of these sunk aboard the St.
> Chamond (6-7) as there are surviving on dry
> land (6).

> -James Hefner
> Hebrews 10:20a

Might want to revisit the idea that these were "trench" locos. From the site:

QUOTE -----------

In the case of the locos on the St Chamond, there are four large driving wheels on each side and two pairs of smaller wheels forward of the drive wheels.

END QUOTE -----------

The 60cm guys were all 10 wheelers, Prairies or Pechot (Farlie) double enders. The diver clearly discribes a 12 wheeler.

Ed
Author:  James Hefner [ Wed Jan 21, 2004 3:36 pm ]
Post subject:  I stand corrected....
The drawing I linked to also shows 4-8-0s. You caught me "asleep at the switch"; I am sorry about the error.

I wonder even more what kind of locomotives they were, since twelve-wheelers were very rare.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

> Might want to revisit the idea that these
> were "trench" locos. From the
> site:

> QUOTE -----------

> In the case of the locos on the St Chamond,
> there are four large driving wheels on each
> side and two pairs of smaller wheels forward
> of the drive wheels.

> END QUOTE -----------

> The 60cm guys were all 10 wheelers, Prairies
> or Pechot (Farlie) double enders. The diver
> clearly discribes a 12 wheeler.

> Ed


james@survivingworldsteam.com
Author:  James Hefner [ Sat Jan 24, 2004 3:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Another dive report with more photos, a drawing
The webpage below has more dive photos from the St. Chamond; and another drawing. It also shows the locomotives as 4-8-0s.

Some of my friends on the web have been digging around, and we can't determine what these locomotives were. We have found out that both the Baldwin and Hunslet 4-6-0T trench engines weighed about 15 tons, much lighter than the 58 tons quoted in the original article. The wheel shown next to the diver in the pictures look a little larger than the ones on the trench engines; you can now count the spokes.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a


St Chamond Dive
james@survivingworldsteam.com
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