SL/E/PASI/M/13

This shipwreck is positioned at a maximum depth of 11.5m, about 3km off the coast of Pasikudah, an area which is about 28km north from Batticaloa towards Trincomalee. Constructed by Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Willington (N. & S. Shields, England), SS Amarillys was employed as a British cargo ship by Stag Lines Ltd. of North Shields (England), starting from 1904. This iron vessel weighed 4,064t and was 106.68m (350ft) in length and 14.63m (48ft) in breadth. The height of the ship was 5.46m (18ft). Powered by three boilers with a single propeller, this steam vessel was of 372-horsepower and could reach a maximum speed of 12knots (nautical miles per hour).

It was first able to find information about this ship through a record made by an officer attached to the contemporary British rule. According to his book, the steam ship ‘Amaryllis’ belonged to the Stag Lines Company has been sunk near the Venludis Point of Kalkudah in February 1908. Further investigations carried out on this fact has revealed that the ship was on a mission in transporting coal from Calcutta (India) to Bombay (India) when it met with the accident in the said area. Accordingly, SS Amarillys is reported to have sunk on the 07^th February 1908 due to running aground and currently lies on a rocky seabed.

Since there are four wrecks found within the vicinity of one square kilometer of the said location, it has first been difficult to separately identify each ship. Hence, Mr. Darshana Jayawardene, who has made a publication on the sunk ships in Sri Lanka, has identified this place as ‘The Graveyard of Shipwrecks’. However, further investigations carried out by the Maritime Archaeology Unit of Galle could identify the longest wreck as SS Gladys Moller which was 125m in length. Similarly, the second-longest wreck among the four was found as 108m long and 15m wide, which is closer to the aforesaid fact sheet data of the SS Amarillys ship. Furthermore, the remaining three ships that are found in the close vicinity are less than 100m in length. Accordingly, it has been confirmed that the said second-longest wreck within that wreck accumulation is the British Steam Cargo ship, SS Amarillys. Although the vessel is heavily damaged, the stern (rear) section, propeller and shaft are still clearly identifiable.

date built: 1904 nationality: british type: cargo ship propulsion: steam

builder: Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Willington (N. & S. Shields)    engine by: North Eastern Marine Engineers Ltd., Sunderland owner: Stag Lines Ltd. - Joseph Robinson & Co, North Shields

tonnage: 4064 grt dimensions: 106.68 x 14.63 x 5.46 m

engine: 1 x 3 cyl. triple expansion engine, single shaft, 1 screw   power: 372 n.h.p.    speed: 12 knots

about the loss cause lost: ran aground (wrecked) date lost: 07/02/1908 [