Liberty 80 Conference - The Liberty Ship SS James Eagan Layne

Name: Liberty 80 Conference - The Liberty Ship SS James Eagan Layne
Start: 2025-03-22T09:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-03-22T17:00:00+00:00
Location: Marine Station Plymouth University

Schedule

Sat Mar 22 2025 at 09:00 am to 05:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Marine Station Plymouth University | Plymouth, EN

The 21st March is the anniversary of the sinking of the WWII US Liberty ship SS James Eagan Layne. The ship was beached and sank in Whitsand Bay near Plymouth, England, after being torpedoed by a German submarine off the Eddystone reef in 1945.
In 2015 The SHIPS Project marked the 70th anniversary of her loss with a research project and the creation of this website. We are celebrating the 80th anniversary in March 2025 as the 'Liberty 80' project and are holding a one day conference to celebrate the life of this ship. For more information click the banner below.
The project aims to document all aspects of the life of this vessel - wartime transport, shipwreck, her salvage, the classic UK wreck dive and artificial reef:
The Liberty 70 project recorded the history of the ship from the time the keel was laid in the shipyard in New Orleans to the present day. The story includes the part she played in the Battle of the Atlantic, her sinking by a U-boat and early attempts at salvage.
The James Eagan Layne is thought to be the most dived wreck in the UK. It has been an attraction for visiting divers since the beginning of sport diving and for many divers of all generations, this ship was their first experience of wreck diving. One aspect of the Liberty 70 project is to collect stories about your first or favourite dives on this wreck.
The ship is falling apart under the action of waves and currents so may not remain standing for many more years to come. The Liberty 70 project recorded the wreck as it was in 2015 in a detailed site plan and as a 3D computer model.
The results of this history project are published on this website about the S.S. James Eagan Layne. The work is a community project being done by a large team of researchers, divers, surveyors, VR specialists and archaeologists including local diving groups and organisations, teams from Plymouth University, Oxford University and the University of Birmingham.
The Liberty 80 Conference
22nd March 2025, Plymouth, UK
Venue: The Marine Station, University of Plymouth
Time: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Address: Artillery Place, Plymouth
Postcode: PL4 0LU
What3Words: deaf.boxer.meals
Admission: £16
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About the Conference
In 2015 The SHIPS Project marked the 70th anniversary of her loss with a research project and the creation of this website. We are celebrating the 80th anniversary in March 2025 as the 'Liberty 80' project and are holding a one day public conference to celebrate the life of this ship.
There will be a series of talks on subjects including:
Battle of the Atlantic and the U-boat's Last Stand
The Development of Liberty Ships
Life and Loss of SS James Eagan Layne
People of SS James Eagan Layne
Underwater Tour of the Wreck Site
The Marine Biology of an Artificial Reef
Call for objects recovered from the SS James Eagan Layne
The James Eagan Layne is considered to be the most dived wreck in the UK. It has been an attraction for visiting divers since the beginning of sport diving and for many divers of all generations, this ship was their first wreck diving experience. One aspect of the Liberty 80 Conference is to host a call for finds recovered from the James Eagan Layne. Please bring any finds or objects recovered from the wreck, except ordnance, such as cartridge cases and shells. At the end of the conference, we will have time to discuss the finds that have been brought together along with other research, books and photographs collected over the past 80 years.
Please do not bring any ordnance with you to the Conference, even if it is not live