The Port Napier was still under construction when the second world war broke out, she was being built as a cargo steamer but the Government requisitioned her and used her as a mine layer. On the 27th of November 1940 she was tied to the pier at the Kyle of Lochash with all her holds filled with a deadly cargo. The Port Napier was loaded with 550 sea mines as well as 6000 shells for her 10 anti-aircraft guns. As the final loads were put into her holds , a fire broke out onboard and the attempts to put it out failed, naval tugs towed her out into the middle of the loch where she almost immediatley blew-up. The ship was blown apart but surprisingly, none of the mines exploded. She tipped over to her starboard side and sank. The mines were removed by the Royal Navy in 1955.

The wreck today : The Port Napier was 498 feet long and had a weight of 9600 tons. She is very easy to find as her port side is dry at low tide. She lies in 16-20 metres and is about 300 meters from the Skye shoreline. This wreck is located in sheltered waters and boats can be launch from either the Kyle or from Kyleakin.

The Port Napier is a great dive due to the reasons given above but for me the main reason would have to be the wreck access. When the ship had its mines removed the Navy removed most of the port side plating so now when you are diving on her you can dive deep inside the wreck and you can still see shafts of light from the surface which makes her easy to get out off if you happen to get into trouble. The ship is also in remarkable condition considering the size of the explosion that sank her.

This picture was taken by a friend of mine on one of the anti-aircraft guns on the fore deck.

Section of the Port Napiers hull.(Photo used with the permission of my friend Mr.Iain Drummond).