Helen's Reef is a series of skerries in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

, northeast of the larger

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

Rockall Rockall () is an uninhabitable granite islet situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom claims that Rockall lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is part of its territory, but this claim is not recognised by Ireland. ...

and outcrop of

Hasselwood Rock Hasselwood Rock is a skerry adjacent to Rockall in the North Atlantic. Position and characteristics The upper part of Hasselwood Rock is the destroyed cone of an extinct volcano, some north of the larger outcrop of Rockall.G. S. Holland and R. ...

, within the United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone. The skerries are covered at high tide or in rough seas, and are often only visible as breaking waves. It is within the radius territorial waters of Rockall, which is claimed by the UK as of 1955 and incorporated into the UK by the

Island of Rockall Act 1972 The Island of Rockall Act 1972 (c. 2) is a British Act of Parliament formally incorporating the island of Rockall into the United Kingdom to protect it from Irish and Icelandic claims. The Act as originally passed declared that the Island of Roc ...

. This claim was previously long disputed by Ireland,Written Answers - Rockall Island
''debates.oireachtas.ie'' 24 March 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2014.Clive Symmons "Ireland and the Rockall Dispute: An Analysis of Recent Developments" Durham University
''www.dur.ac.uk'' but the dispute is resolved as of 31 March 2014."The Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013"
''www.legislation.gov.uk'' Retrieved 20 July 2014.
''www.irishstatutebook.ie.'' Retrieved 20 July 2014.

History

In 1812 the survey vessel ''Leonidas'' foundered on the reef. It was named for the

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

''Helen'' of

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, bound for

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, which foundered at Hasselwood Rock in 1824. The vessel struck between nine and ten o'clock on the morning of 17 April. After some twelve hours struggling to keep her afloat and make for safety, water had almost filled the hold. The captain ordered the passengers onto the deck with warm clothing. Difficulty was experienced launching the boats, and one had to be repaired after being holed on the stock of the kedge anchor; "the crew left most of the passengers to drown, including seven women and six children". On 28 June 1904 the 3,318 ton

DFDS DFDS is a Danish international shipping and logistics company. It is the busiest shipping company of its kind in Northern Europe and one of the busiest in Europe. The company's name is an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (literall ...

steamer , with 795 people including 240 children on board bound for

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, foundered on the reef. 635 lives were lost with most of the 163 survivors being taken to

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well a ...

. The wreck was found a century later in of water. IMRAY(1884) p0231 ROCKALL

References

{{reflist Rockall Reefs of the Atlantic Ocean Skerries of Scotland Landforms of the Outer Hebrides Reefs of Scotland