The motor ship Ranga was a 1,586 tonne container ship owned by the Spanish shipping company, Naviera Ason SA, but on charter to the Icelandic shipping company, Hafskip

Hafskip

Hafskip was Iceland's second-largest shipping line before its collapse which became a national scandal.The firm had fallen deep into debt and might have sunk quietly had it not been for its ties to Iceland's finance minister, who was its former chairman and still a shareholder...

. She was formerly named Berta de Perez, but her name was changed at sea to Ranga, due to the Icelandic charter. The Ranga was on her maiden voyage

Maiden voyage

The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....

 from Santander

Santander, Cantabria

The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...

 to Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...

. The ship lost power on this voyage during a storm, and was wrecked at Dunmore Head, close to Coumeenole Beach, near Slea Head

Slea Head

Slea Head is a promontory in the westernmost part of the Dingle Peninsula, located in the barony of Corca Dhuibhne in southwest...

 on the Dingle

Dingle

Dingle is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about 49 kilometres southwest of Tralee and 71 kilometres northwest of Killarney....

 peninsula, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 on 11 March 1982.

Rescue

The local rescue team rescued some of the fifteen crew members by Breeches buoy

Breeches buoy

A breeches buoy is a crude rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one location to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harness attached...

. The remainder were taken off by an RAF

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 helicopter.

Disposal

The ship was a total loss and created oil pollution as she broke up. The ship broke into two parts quickly, the stern of the ship, with the superstructure

Superstructure

A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...

 on, and the bows. In 1989, the company, Eurosalve tried to scrap her, but this failed due to the inaccessibility of the wreck. The stern section of the wreck was removed in 1991, due to filming of Far and Away

Far and Away

Far and Away is a 1992 adventure-drama-romance film directed by Ron Howard from a script by Howard and Bob Dolman, and stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Cinematography by Mikael Salomon, with a music score by John Williams...

, which included a scene shot at Dunmore Head. Today, the bow and some other scattered pieces of wreckage are visible.