Wave Shape
Wave Shape

HMT Cayton Wyke

Wave Shape

HMT Cayton Wyke

This WW2 Anti-Submarine Trawler of 373 Tons had a short and very interesting tour of duty in WW2 as part of the Dover Patrol. In October 1939 3 U-Boats were destroyed in quick succession which resulted in the Dover straits being closed to U-Boats from this very early stage of the war. One of these U Boats was U-16 which was sunk by depth charges from HMT Cayton Wyke along with HMT Puffin on 24 October 1939, on the Southern tip of the Goodwin Sands.

On the 8 July 1940 HMT Cayton Wyke was attacked by German E-Boats in the same area, she was torpedoed and sunk very close to the site of the U-16.

She is probably the wreck listed in Dive Kent as the site of the U16. The wreck listed in Dive Kent as the Cayton Wyke has been positively identified by her bell as the HMT Etoile Polaire an Armed trawler sunk in 1915. The U16 is probably the part buried Sub about ½ mile to the south.

Diving: There is an inverted wreck with some quite sever damage lying in about 28m of water, it is hard to identify but it does have a sonar dome on the hull and had .303 ammunition and glass batteries recovered from the site.

The hull is quite easy to enter and home to a lot of lobsters.

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