The Utrecht, a 38-gun frigate belonging to the Dutch Navy, went ashore here in 1807. The warship was on its way from Rotterdam to Curaçao with soldiers, being sent to reinforce the Dutch garrison who were defending the Carribean island against the British. 54 lives were lost, however 366 survivors were rescued by locals, (even though their countries were at war). These prisoners were taken to a makeshift camp near Kirkwall and guarded by volunteer troops from Caithness. A dive survey of the site was carried out in recent years and re-discovered one of the 12-pounder cannon which can be viewed in the video below
The most visible wreckage remains on the Holms are parts of the Aberdeen trawler Alex Hastie which ran aground here in 1939. Her boiler and winches can still be seen on the north Holm.
