News
10 February 2011 - Plymouth, England
The Liberty 70 Project: The Liberty ship James Eagan Layne
March 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the US Liberty ship James Eagan Layne. The ship was beached near Plymouth, England, in March 1945 after being torpedoed by a U-boat. To celebrate the anniversary, over the next 4 years the Liberty 70 Project aims to document all aspects of the life of this vessel - wartime transport, shipwreck, commercial salvage job, the classic UK wreck dive and artificial reef.
The Liberty 70 Project will record the history of the ship from the time the keel was laid to the present day. The story includes the part she played in the Battle of the Atlantic, her sinking, beaching and early attempts at salvage. The results of this history project will be published in a book and a web site about the James Eagan Layne, with other events planned for the anniversary itself. The work is being done by a mixed team of amateurs and professionals so we need volunteers with a range of skills to help pull this together in time for the 70th anniversary in 2015. The project is designed to be inclusive to all so offers of help are welcome. We are looking for volunteers who are interested in researching and writing about maritime history, recording the wreck underwater or are interested in helping and can devote some time to the project.
The Liberty ship James Eagan Layne was launched at the Delta Shipbuilding Company’s yard in New Orleans on 2nd December 1944. By the beginning of March 1945 she had crossed the Atlantic, eventually joining the convoy BTC-103 on heading up the English Channel. The final destination for the James Eagan Layne was Ghent in Belgium where she would deliver 4,500 tons of equipment for Patton’s third army. On 21st March the convoy was sighted off Plymouth by the U-boat U-399, which then fired a torpedo into the ship on her starboard side. After fifteen minutes the crew abandoned ship and most were picked up by the British steamship Monkstone, while the remainder were taken aboard a rescue tug. The ship was towed toward Plymouth and finally beached in Whitsand Bay where she remains to this day. The James Eagan Layne was the only vessel lost in convoy BTC-103 and there were no casualties amongst her crew of 69; she joins the list of over 200 Liberty ships lost during the war.
The James Eagan Layne was first visited by recreational divers in the early 1950’s when the sport of SCUBA diving started in the UK. The Eagan Layne soon became ‘the’ iconic UK wreck dive as it was largely intact and easily accessible, introducing thousands of divers to wreck diving and is now an intrinsic part of the history of the sport. Over time the wreck has become a noted artificial reef in an otherwise featureless seabed and provides a valuable habitat for marine life.
For more information about the Liberty 70 Project please visit our web site at www.shipsproject.org/Liberty70/
The Liberty 70 Project is part of The SHIPS Project based in Plymouth, UK.
Contact: Peter Holt, Project Manager, Liberty 70 Project
Email: pete@3HConsulting.com
Web: www.shipsproject.org/Liberty70/