The 21st March is the anniversary of the sinking of the WWII US Liberty ship SS James Eagan Layne. The ship was beached and sank in Whitsand Bay near Plymouth, England, after being torpedoed by a German submarine off the Eddystone reef in 1945.
In 2015 The SHIPS Project marked the 70th anniversary of her loss with a research project and the creation of the Liberty 70 Project website. The project aims to document all aspects of the life of this vessel – wartime transport, shipwreck, her salvage, the classic UK wreck dive and artificial reef. The James Eagan Layne is thought to be the most dived wreck in the UK. She has been an attraction for visiting divers since the beginning of sport diving and for many divers of all generations, this ship was their first experience of wreck diving. One aspect of the Liberty 70 Project is to collect stories about people's first or favourite dives on this wreck.
The SHIPS Project is celebrating the 80th anniversary in March 2025 as the 'Liberty 80' project and are holding a one day conference at the University of Plymouth to celebrate the life of this ship.
Conference talks
• Battle of the Atlantic and the U-boat's last stand
• The development of Liberty ships
• Life and loss of SS James Eagan Layne
• People of SS James Eagan Layne
• Underwater tour of the wreck site
• The marine biology of an artificial reef
• Battle of the Atlantic and the U-boat's last stand
• The development of Liberty ships
• Life and loss of SS James Eagan Layne
• People of SS James Eagan Layne
• Underwater tour of the wreck site
• The marine biology of an artificial reef
Call for finds from the SS James Eagan Layne
The conference is hosting a call for find recovered from the ship. Please bring any finds or objects recovered from the wreck, except ordnance, such as cartridge cases and shells. At the end of the conference, we will have time to discuss the finds that have been brought together along with other research, books and photographs collected over the past 80 years.
The conference is hosting a call for find recovered from the ship. Please bring any finds or objects recovered from the wreck, except ordnance, such as cartridge cases and shells. At the end of the conference, we will have time to discuss the finds that have been brought together along with other research, books and photographs collected over the past 80 years.