Basking Shark Map

The Story of the SS Politician

Jan 15 2025

Lying in just a few metres of water off the coast of Eriskay lies one of Scotland’s most famous wrecks, the SS Politician; an 8000 tonne cargo ship bound for Kingston that ran aground following a storm in 1941.

The ship, which had been transporting goods – including over 20,000 cases of whisky to be sold in America – had encountered strong winds on its passage from the Isle of Man and hit a sand bank off the coast of Eriskay. Local islanders assisted the crew off the boat and no lives were lost.

After word got out on what the Politician was carrying, the islanders were keen to get their hands on the treasure and salvaged what they could during the night. Word eventually spread across the Outer Hebrides and boats came from as far as Lewis to see what they could salvage. However, as no duty had been paid on the exported whisky, the it had to be quietly smuggled away, evading the authorities.

The authorities, both the British government and the local customs officer Charles McColl  tried to intervene, but the island spirit made it difficult to stop them. Crofts were raided and turned upside down but the bottles were stashed away, buried, and drank to hide the evidence. The incident became legendary with the local community sharing in the unexpected windfall and turning the wreck of the SS Politician into an enduring piece of island folklore, inspiring the famous movie Whisky Galore!

McColl was furious with the leniency of any punishments, after estimating that the islanders had stolen 24,000 bottles of whisky, wanted to curb temptation so applied for and was granted permission to explode her hull. The whisky was now finished but the story lived on, inspiring generations of divers.

In 1987 Donald MacPhee, a local South Uist man, found eight bottles of whisky in the wreck. He sold them at auction for £4,000. However, these days you’re unlikely to find any bottles left on the wreck but bottles turn up on the island every now and again, sometimes under the floorboards or stashed away in old crofts.

All that’s left of the ship now has can be seen in the YouTube vid, but if you dive below the kelp you’ll still see some of structure and can peek through the port holes. No whisky has been found on our swims but it’s always a great day of snorkelling, especially when followed by a visit to the AM Politician pub for lunch and a dram.

Ready to join us on an adventure?