The 840 ton Buccaneer was built in 1937 by Flemming & Ferguson. She was 165ft long with a beam of 32ft, and driven by a single screw powered by a three-cylinder, triple-expansion engine.
At the outbreak of WW2 she was fitted with a 3in gun at her bow. It was never used in anger. For most of the war she was a resident tug at Portland Naval Base.
In August 1946 whilst towing a target in the bay she mistakenly became the target and 4.5” naval guns sent her to the seabed.
She is small enough to be explored on a single dive and well worth diving.
