The SS Breda was a Liberty ship and was built in Holland in 1921 for the Royal Netherlands Steamship Company. On the 23rd of December 1940 she was berthed in the Firth of Lorne as part of an Atlantic convoy and it was at this time that she was bombed by a German Heinkel 111. None of the bombs hit the Breda directly but they exploded close enough and she quickly began taking in water. The 6941 ton Breda began to sink at the stern but a tug managed to tow her into Ardmucknish Bay and beach her on a shallow shelf. The salvage of her cargo which consisted of 3000 tons of cement, 175 tons of tobacco, Hawker bi-planes, Tiger Moth planes, Army lorry parts and general NAAFI supplies started on Christmas eve but very little was salvaged from the 418 foot long ship slid of the shelf and into deeper water.

The wreck today : The Breda easily qualifies as the most dived wreck in Scotland. This is because of several reasons, it is reasonably intact, she is sheltered from most of the bad weather and she lies in a convenient location near Oban. The Breda lies in 30 metres of water and is sitting upright with her decks at about 15 meters, she is usually buoyed and is easy to find. The dive itself is very interesting as there is loads to see, the entire length of deck is covered in collapsed masts and associated winches.

For a diver more interested in the marine life, then the Breda's hull is covered in plumose anemones, white tunicates and forests of featherworms. The occasional shoal of fish can also been seen. Another interesting thing about the Breda is her holds as they are still full of most of the original cargo. From cement bags, trucks to aircraft parts, they can all be found but care has to be taken as the whole wreck is covered with silt and the visability can be reduced to zero very quickly.

The photos and diagrams are reproduced by the kind permission of Diver magazine and John Liddiard