nationality: german
type of wreck: barque
propulsion: sailing ship
weight (tons): 1994
dimensions (m) 85×12,5x—280ft
cause lost: ran aground
date lost: 01/02/1914
date built:
builder:
owner:
depth (m): 17 max.

Orientation latitude: 50.12.015 longitude: 04.54.275

Four-masted steel barque, 1886; ex-Richard Wagner; 1.994 ton, 276x41x23 ft. Hera was en route from Chili to Falmouth with a cargo of £30,000 worth of nitrate, a valuable cargo for the time. On the 1st February 1914 in fog, she struck the Whelps reef during a south-westerly gale, which ripped through her hull and sank on the west side of Gull Rock, St Veryan Bay, Cornwall. The crew attempted to launch lifeboats, but they capsized. Only 5 survived, clinging to the only remaining mast. 19 sailors washed ashore and were buried in a massgrave in Veryan churchyard.

WRECKTOUR:110

A big sailing ship to get our teeth into! And this one, off Falmouth, is also shallow enough to let everyone get a taste, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO FIND A WRECK of a sailing ship that retains enough detail to make it worth an entire Wreck Tour all by itself. At the end of last year we went some way to fill the gap with a double tour of a pair of less-detailed sailing-ship wrecks, the Thracian and the Highland Home, but before that it had been six years since we toured the Oregon in South Devon (Tour 31, September 2001).
However you look at it, another full tour of a sailing ship is long overdue. So this month we tour the wreck of the four-masted barque Hera, wrecked behind Gull Rock to the east of Falmouth at the start of 1914.
At 16m deep, the Hera is an ideal wreck for beginners and training dives. Diveable pretty much at any state of the tide, it also makes a great second dive to follow a deeper offshore wreck on slack water.
When I dived the Hera a buoy was tied to the keel (1), so our tour begins at the western edge of the wreckage, which is close to the keel.
From here we head aft, keeping the rise of the keel on our left shoulder until it breaks up (2). On the way, there are plenty of gaps in the metalwork and crevices beneath the hull-plates that could repay a look inside for any of the usual wreck life, such as lobsters and conger eels.
Above deck, there are always the wrasse to keep divers company.
Just before the hull breaks, across the wreck are a pair of capstans (3) and (4). These are positioned between the main and mizzen masts, the second and third of four masts overall. Aft from here, the Hera has split in two (5).
There is nothing further along the existing line of the keel, and to find the other part of the wreck you need to follow a trail of spars and masts across a 20m-or-so gap between the two parts of the wreck. To find the way across, return to the starboard capstan (4), and locate a double spar leading out from the starboard side of the wreck (6).
This spar crosses a tubular mast (7). The position among the wreckage corresponds with the approximate location of the mizzen mast, but this is also the biggest section of mast, so may have been the main mast dumped out of position as the Hera broke its back.
Following up the mast, this ends with a step to the next section of mast (8). This soon concludes in a scattering of broken sections (9) that lead to the aft part of the wreck.
The Hera must have broken in two as it was sinking, because the two sections of broken hull lie facing each other and almost parallel. To achieve this without total devastation, the stern part must have remained clear of the seabed as it was pushed round by the sea to come to rest facing the bow part.
Following across the break on the aft part of the wreck towards the keel, close to the edge of the collapsed deck is an area of tiles from the bathroom floor (10).
The general pattern of the decks is grids of ribs that would have supported wooden decks. With the wood nearly all rotted away, this leaves the grids superimposed on top of each other as the decks have collapsed.
Using the grid to navigate further aft, a small coaming (11) would most likely have been covered by a wooden framed skylight, or perhaps a small cuddy or deckhouse to guard access below.
Next to this is one of the boat derricks. An original photograph of the Hera shows this at the front of the raised quarterdeck.
Towards the port side of the deck are the remains of the steps between the main deck and the quarterdeck (12)
The hull on this section has not collapsed as far as that of the forward section. In places the gap is high enough to venture inside and swim along, though as always when inside a wreck, especially one that has collapsed, be careful to avoid further collapse and to ensure that you don’t get disoriented or stuck.
The hull about the quarterdeck stands a little higher, still collapsed to starboard, with the rudderpost and a section of the steering mechanism (13) right at the stern. Below the rudderpost, the rudder (14) is intact, the lower part buried in the sand.
To return to the forward section of the wreck, a trail of mast sections and spars (15) leads a disjointed path across the sand and gravel, meeting the bow roughly at a small pair of bollards (16) and the anchor capstan.
The Hera was built in 1886 and had a crew of 24 to manage 2084 tons of ship, so it is possible that there was a small donkey boiler somewhere to provide steam power to some of the machinery, though I have found nothing on the wreck to confirm this.
The framework for the bow (17) stands on its starboard side and rises 4m or so above the seabed. The individual frames are covered in some nice groups of plumose anemones, making this the most photogenic scene on the wreck.
At the front of the bow, the lower part of the bowsprit (18) juts 2m or so above the seabed. Rings along the top of the bowsprit indicate that it would have originally been extended, with a wooden spar making it considerably longer.
Our route now turns aft along the deck. After a few upright frames and a short span of the familiar grid of the flattened decks, the next significant feature is a hatch coaming from the forward hold (19).
Immediately behind the hold coaming is the foot of the main mast (20), with a cluster of spars spread away from the wreck, though no sign of the mast itself.
Next to the mast foot stands a hand-operated pump, a vertical blob with a nice iron hand-wheel with curved spokes (21) mounted on one side of it.
As a note to any wannabe spidge collectors, please don’t be stupid enough to remove this. Iron this old that has been soaking in seawater will only disintegrate as soon as it dries out.
Our tour has now covered pretty much all the wreck. A pair of bollards to the port side of the deck (22) indicate the point at which to cross the hull and return to the buoyline to ascend.
Alternatively, with no current or deco, and assuming there is no boat traffic, the Hera is one of the few wrecks where it can be safe to ascend pretty much anywhere.

The skeleton of the bow rests on its starboard side, standing well clear of the seabed and covered in anemones.

Hand wheel from the pump.

The remains of the bow rise above the seabed – this is the frame to support the bowsprit.

DEPTH -20m
DIFFICULTY – Easy

GETTING THERE: Approaching Falmouth, follow the signs for the docks to bypass the town centre. Cornish Diving is located on Bar Road, a couple of hundred metres back from the marina slip.
HOW TO FIND IT: The GPS co-ordinates are 50 12.015N, 4 54.275W (degrees, minutes and decimals). The wreck lies broken in two with both bow and stern to the north. There is often a small buoy tied to the wreck.
TIDES: The Hera is diveable at any state of the tide.
LAUNCHING: Slip at the marina in Falmouth.
DIVING & AIR: RIB or hardboat with Cornish Diving, 01326 313178, www.cornishdiving.co.uk. Air, nitrox, trimix and full equipment hire are available from the shop.
ACCOMMODATION: Bunkhouse conveniently next door to the dive shop.
QUALIFICATIONS: Nice and easy diving for those with basic open-water qualification.
FURTHER INFORMATION: Admiralty Chart 1267, Falmouth to Plymouth. Ordnance Survey Map 204, Truro, Falmouth & Surrounding Area. Dive South Cornwall by Richard Larn.

PROS: Can be dived at any state of the tide. An ideal wreck for beginners and for training.
CONS: Some parts of the wreck can get kelped-out later in the season.

WHISTLING IN THE WIND
HERA, cargo sailing barque. Built 1886, SUNK 1914

THAT ANYONE WAS SAVED FROM the 2084-ton German sailing barque Hera was entirely due to two Able Seamen blowing blasts on the Mate’s silver whistle, as they clung high in the rigging of one of the four masts of their sinking ship near Cornwall’s Nare Head on 31 January, 1914.

Only five of the crew of 24 were saved by the Falmouth lifeboat, which was guided through the dark to the 280ft-long wreck by the shrill calls of that whistle, writes Kendall McDonald.
The Hera was built in a German yard in 1886, but when she was launched she was named Richard Wagner and sailed under the British flag.
After years of successful long voyages for the British company, she was sold to a German company, Rhederei Aktien Gesellschaft of Hamburg, to replace its Pindos. This was another four-masted sailing ship that had been lost when she sank near Coverack in February, 1912.
The voyage which was to be Hera’s last meant that she was heading for Falmouth for orders, having been heavily laden at Pisagua with Chilean nitrate, described in her cargo manifest as saltpetre.
The nitrate was not a popular cargo, whatever name was used for it, because the sailors knew it was really the droppings from millions of seabirds, and it stank to high heaven!
It took 91 days of rough weather, fog, contrary winds and lashing rainstorms for Hera to get close to Falmouth Bay. Captain Lorentz expected to see the Lizard or St Anthony Lights, but days of dead-reckoning navigation seem to have let him down.
Hours passed without any sign of land as the weather grew worse.
At midnight, a look-out yelled “Land-ho!” and so it was – dead ahead. Attempting to put about resulted in the ship crashing violently into Gull Rock in Veryan Bay. Distress rockets were fired and the boats manned as the Hera rolled clear of the rocks and began sinking quickly by the head.
The captain’s boat capsized, drowning him and three of the crew. The rest abandoned the boats and climbed the rigging as the ship sank beneath them.
The Chief Mate slipped into the icy sea, as did the Second Mate, but not before he had passed his silver whistle to the seaman in the rigging above him. When he was unable to blow any more, he passed it on upwards.
Finally the lifeboat found the wreck and saved five men from the rigging. Within a few more hours only the foresail and topmast showed above the waves. They were still showing days later, when the wreck of the Hera was sold to Harris Brothers of Falmouth for £205.

Gull Rock to the east of Falmouth in Veryan Bay, sticks out of the water like the hump of a Sea Dragon. It is so prominent that you would think that it would be easy to avoid. But the sea always lays traps for the unwary, and on the night of 1st of February 1914 Gull rock claimed a victim, the German steel barque Hera.

Originally a British owned vessel called the Richard Wagner, the 1994 ton Hera was owned by Rhederei Aktien of Hamburg, who also owned the ill fated square rigger, Pindos wrecked on the Manacles in 1912. On that February night the Hera was 91 days out of Pisaqua loaded with Chilien nitrates, and closing the Lizard. The weather was rough with a gale blowing, and Captain Lorentz was unsure as to his exact position. He thought to sail slowly into Falmouth bay and pick up the flash of either St. Anthony’s light or the Lizard. As dusk fell the weather steadily worsened and as the hours passed they still saw no shore lights. At about midnight the second mate reported land ahead. Captain Lorentz ordered the Hera put about, but the ship was slow to answer the helm and seconds later the Hera was impaled on Gull Rock about a quarter of a mile off Nare Head.

How the news hit the Headlines

Distress rockets were fired and lifeboats manned, but the ship suddenly rolled forwards and as she settled by her head, the port boat capsized and Captain Lorentz and three men disappeared. After an attempt to free the starboard boat failed the Chief Officer led the crew up into the rigging to escape the seas that were now sweeping over the boat. As the Hera sank deeper the crew had to climb further up the rigging and soon they were in a dreadful state. Cold and exhaustion soon carried of the Chief Mate and shortly after the Second Mate, Peterson also gave up and slipped into the sea. Before he went he passed over his ships whistle to one of the seamen just above him on the mast.

August Lassen, the boy seaman who blew the whistle.

By this time only five men were left, and they were trapped halfway up the rigging of a sinking ship swept by freezing seas whipped up by a fierce gale. They had to endure these terrible conditions for another two hours before the Falmouth lifeboat finally hove into view. One of the able seamen, his hands so frozen that he could hardly hold the whistle, blew and blew until the lifeboat men heard the shrill sound just barely audible above the howling wind. With the whistle to guide them the cox’n managed to coax the lifeboat alongside the wreck of the Hera and pull the five exhausted crewmen to safety. Nineteen men died that dreadful night and their remains were buried in Veryan churchyard.(see Tombstones section)

The five survivors.

Some of the mast stumps are still to be seen, and although the wreck is well broken up it is still possible to identify what bits you are swimming over. The Hera is a surprisingly compact wreck so there is not much chance of getting lost. But it is very picturesque, so you can stay down a long time, especially if you have a camera.

Thanks: I am indebted to Ute Lassen for all the photographs, especially the lad with the whistle who was his Grandfather.

Her decks awash with foaming turbulent water, the wallowing, groaning mass of the Hera slowly begins to disappear beneath the waves, only her masts and rigging above water, the crew clinging to the wet ropes for their lives. With one whistle between them, they passed it along and blew in turn until the Falmouth lifeboat, guided by the whistle rescued them.

Air escaping her interior rushed through the open doors and hatches, sending sprays of water high into the air, the last dying gasps of the vessel as the inevitable pull of the seabed drags her under, a few hundreds metres from the rock that finished her. The raging sea having achieved what it had spent the previous hours trying to do. Another ship made her way to the bottom of the rough waters off the coast of Cornwall.

She now lies a few hundred metres north of Gull rock, east of Nare head in 15-18m of water. I was diving at low tide, so it was going to be only 15m maximum, despite much of my diving being far deeper, some of the my best dives have been in shallow waters. I wasn’t to be disappointed on this dive.

It was a bit of a change for me diving the south coast of Cornwall, but due to recent weather conditions the north coast had very poor visibility, and I felt it was about time I did some more south coast diving.

The Hera is a popular dive with everyone in Falmouth, it is well protected from all winds except an Easterly, and is a popular destination when the sea is less inviting.

Diving on a hard boat, Redeemer from Falmouth, , leaving early to catch slack water, the cold crisp air was fresh and sweet we headed out on a mirror flat sea and clear blue skies, the only noise being the rumble of the engines, the chatter of the divers and the scream of the seagulls overhead. The bow sliced through the calm waters, creating the only disturbance as we made our way to the dive site. By the time we arrived the rest of the divers were kitted up and entered into the clear water as soon as the shot was dropped over the side by the skipper, I followed a few minutes later following the line encased in shimmering bubbles from the divers beneath, into the pale green.

The visibility was around about 6-8m allowing me to get a good view of the wreck site. There were several large Wrasse and Pollack patrolling around their hunting ground, their presence showing as slowly moving shadows on the edge of the visibility.

The wreck is very broken, rusted metal pieces lie jumbled, broken by the many winter storms leaving the visiting diver with no instantly visible means of telling whereabouts on the wreck you were. I started off in a clockwise direction, the wreck lies on bed of pale flat sand so I wasn’t going to get lost.
Small and perfectly formed

Soon I pass some of the divers coming back, already having circumnavigated the wreck, I wasn’t too far from one end of it! The sand around the wreck appeared to be normal, but close to the wreck it looked more like dead coral, I can only assume this was what was left of the nitrate cargo.

The wreck had a small covering of kelp and a dense growth of ‘Dead mans fingers’ giving it a fuzzy appearance if they have their feeding arms extended, magnificent plumose & a scattering of jewel anemones. Thousands of young starfish cling to the metal, their many feeding arms under their tough pale bodies picking the wreck clean of detritus as they move slowly as if a living carpet.

As I rounded what I assumed was the bow before me gaped a dark opening, about 1.5m in diameter, I decided not to enter this time and followed back up the other side.

The bronze fronds of kelp sway in the gentle surge on the wrecksite, amongst which I spotted a Nudibranch ‘Limacia Clavigera’, about 13mm long, slowly making its way over the smooth surface. I refrained from pinning it down and managed to photograph it whilst it was in it ‘natural state’.
Onward and Inward

Making my way onward I came across what was the other end of the opening I had seen earlier. I carefully entered into the dark interior and swam through about 30m of wreck making my way to the bow. The inside was fairly empty, a few Bib darting away from my obviously unwelcome presence, anemones inhabiting the comparatively sheltered waters of the dark recesses and dead mans fingers again festooning many of the exposed plates.

Retracing my route, my torch beam picks out large frame among the jumble of plates and girders, similar in shape to an ‘A’ frame on a RIB but standing 5 or so metres high. It was covered in plumose anemones, which were all closed giving them a jelly like appearance, and vibrant jewel anemones clung the underside. To the other side of the A frame I found one of the masts lying as it must have fallen when the vessel sank, and could see some more on the sand away from the main bulk of the wreck, tracking off into the green.

My attention was drawn to a large rather inquisitive Ballan Wrasse among the kelp. He wouldn’t let me close enough to get a good photograph, but he wouldn’t swim that far away either. He even tried to play hide and seek, just sneaking a peek around a piece of kelp.

I was now back to where I had started from, it only took 20 minutes to swim around, so off I went again, this time I spotted a ‘Football Jersey Worm’ making its way over the coarse sea bed and a wide variety of fish proving this wreck has a plethora of life. After my third lap of this incredible little wreck I remembered that there were two brave people in semi-dry suits on the boat and thought it better I return. I released the anchor from near the wreckage for the skipper and made my ascent.

A very easy and pleasant dive for any level of diver, in perfect conditions, Cornwall at its best.

During the last year several finds have come to light on the Hera, including a telescope and some personal belongings. There are a couple of swim throughs, the longest being about 40m long. The ‘A’ frame is covered in anemones, a good second dive.

There are some quite big pieces of wreckage, though none of it actually looks much like a ship. However, there are some interesting swim-throughs and the viz was very good at around 8m. It was a nice, relaxing dive with plenty of life about. We saw another dogfish, some really big ballan wrasse and a large pollack can be found.

Despite shallow waters, she is in a relatively sheltered place and there is still a substantial amount of wreckage.

The Hera, an extremely pretty wreck situated just off Nare Head.

The masts and large sections of hull can still be seen, although penetration should be undertaken with care. The wreck is home to some very large Pollock an Ballan Wrasse. On sections of the hull, you can see colonies of jewel, dahlia and Plumrose anemones.