Tynemouth, Protector

A pilot cutter of 200 tons, which was mined on 31st December 1916 off the Tyne. 19 crewmen were killed. Steel, 200-ton, 33.52m long, 6.73m beam, 3.22m draught, steam pilot cutter, rigged with sails. She was owned by Tyne Pilotage Commissioners and built by J.P.Rennoldson & Sons at South Shields in 1907. Her single bronze screw propeller was powered by a three-cylinder, triple-expansion steam engine using one boiler.
On 31 December 1916, the Protector was lying off the Tyne entrance awaiting pilotage duties when she was seen to suddenly blow up and sink. It was believed that the vessel had detonated a German mine, just laid early that same morning. The explosion lifted the vessel clean out of the water and she sank almost immediately, taking Captain J.K. Parker and eighteen other people down with her.

The wreck is orientated in a more or less south-south-east to north-north-west direction, on a seabed of dark, dirty sand and stone in a general depth of 21m. She has totally collapsed down onto the seabed in a small 1m pile of twisted steel plates, frames and broken machinery, with the remains of her engine in the midst of it all, which is typical of a small wreck of this period. There are a few copper pipes, brass valves and flanges to be seen, but it is not known whether the vessels bridge equipment is still in-situ. The wreck covers and area of around 35-40m long and 3m wide.
The NMR has two entries recorded for this ship one under North Tyneside (1002338 NZ 36 NE 899) and one under South Tyneside (908751 NZ 46 NW 8).
Built: 1907
Builder: JP Rennoldson & Sons
Engine: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine
Engine HP: 50
Boilers: 1
Owner: Tyne Pilotage Commissioners
Master: JK Parker
Crew: 19
Crew Lost: 19