Dudley Rose
Ship Number
881
Vessel Type
Cargo Ship
Built
D&W Henderson
Yard
Meadowside
Slip Number
4
Launch Date
December 4, 1929
Delivered
December 23, 1929
Owner
Richard Hughes & Co.
Weight
1600 grt
BP Length
250 feet
Breadth
37 feet
No. of Screws
Single
Speed (approx)
10.5 knots
Propulsion
Triple expansion engines by McKie Baxter Ltd
Official No.
161136
Registered
Liverpool
Fate
Bombed and Sank
Dudley Rose

[Sistership Dorothy Rose]
Dudley Rose was hit from a lone Heinkel He 111K on 9th April 1941, she sank soon afterwards, though all her crew of 16 were saved.
 
She was powered by triple-expansion engined made by McKie and Baxter of Glasgow sited aft, and was carrying 2200 tons of coal from Plymouth to Portsmouth, though she had called at Dartmouth on the way.
 
She was 4 miles from Berry Head lighthouse on a bearing of 150 degrees when attacked. She now lies on the sea bed in 35m at 50 23 38N; 03 26 20W. She stands 6m proud and is upright and complete, though some of her coal has spilled out on the sea bed on either side of her. She has been trawled into many times and divers say there is net all over her.
 
The binnacle is still in place on the centre of the bridge, though the compass has been gone for some time. A feature of the bridge of the Dudley Rose is the large concrete blocks lying there. These were originally bolted to the wooden walls of the wheelhouse to protect against shellfire or bomb splinters, and the fixing bolts can be seen.