- The Lelia (Page 7) is a protected monument since 23 August 2019.
There are no restrictions on diver access to the wreck; anyone may
freely visit and dive the wreck (subject to notification to the Port of
Liverpool to ensure navigational safety).
However, as the Lelia is protected as a scheduled monument of national
importance, it is now a criminal offence to damage the wreck and
undertake any intrusive investigation without consent from Historic England.
- Wrecks of Lugar (Page 36) and Cairnross (Page 106)
(note Dublin and Penstone are outside but close to the edge
of the TSS while City of Brussels is just inside):
Since 1 July 2009, A traffic separation scheme (TSS) is operational
near the Douglas Oil Platform.
See a more detailed description.
Also see map
or the
Navionics chart (zoomable).
Within the TSS "recreational diving,
although not recommended, is permitted provided it is carried out in
accordance with BSAC, BDSG safe diving practices and MCA guidelines,
which generally advise against diving in areas of heavy surface traffic.
Chartered, private or club dive support craft must always proceed in the
general direction of traffic flow in that lane. They should not impeded
the safe passage of a power-driven vessel following a traffic lane, nor
should they anchor in the lane".
-
From early 2016 construction of the extension to the Burbo
Bank Windfarm is underway. Mariners are required to keep outside the
designated construction area (marked by 7 buoys). See Port Info
and select Notices to Mariners LNTM09 for more information.
Explicit advice is
"All vessels should navigate with caution in the area. A safety zone
of 50 metres becomes operational around each turbine as it is being
installed, with a safety zone of 500 metres around the installation
vessel. Cable laying to shore will also be conducted."
As of May 2017 construction appears to be complete.
-
Page 32: Montreal - a survey of
the depth [spikes at edges may be spurious].
-
Page 43: Linda Blanche. A dramatic
Painting by German artist Willy Stöwer dated 1915 - shows a
(very inaccurate) depiction of the Linda Blanche being sunk by U21.
- Page 64: A possible candidate for the "Gun" wreck in
the Rock Channel is the SS Superb, wrecked nearby in 1835: more info. The remaining wreckage (2016)
(sonar image: Plot) is consistent with being
from the engine of such a vessel. I have also measured the magnetic anomaly for this
wreck (in nT with distances in metres) which confirms that it has a
substantial iron content. The wreck (charted as drying
3.9m) is about 1 nm from the shore - the distance quoted for the
wreck of the Superb. However, another, even more plausible, location for the Superb
is discussed in Superb wreck.
There is also some sonar sign of
wreckage (2016) at the "Goals" site (sonar image:
Plot ) too - but less prominent.
- Page 68: Blair Nevis: another drying wreck near Taylors Bank: Click for more information
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Page 68: Thomas: another drying wreck. Near Hilbre Swash: Click for more information
-
Page 73 (Murielle) From a magnetometer survey in June 2011, I find
the strongest signal at 53 48.695N 3 10.300W (this is about 0.03nm NW
of the position quoted). The magnetic signal (350nT) is consistent with the
remains of MURIELLE. In a rapid survey, I found no echo-sounder return
in this region.
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Page 75 (U1024) From magnetometer surveys in 2011, I find that
there is no sign of this wreck at the position given. However, about
0.5 miles further north, at position 53 55.479N 3 26.681W, a significant
magnetic anomaly is present. This seems to be oriented SW-NE.
In a rapid survey, I found no echo-sounder signal in this region, so
the wreckage is mainly under the seabed and could be from a submarine.
Subsequently (2015), I find that this aligns exacly with a gas pipeline:
so no ancient wreck!
-
Page 83 (Clare) - this vessel was called Clara.
-
Page 85 (Unknown: Debris) This wreck site is likely to be of the
wooden sailing flat CEYLON (built Northwich 1868, ketch-rigged, 50 tons net, owned
Ridgeway of Sankey Bridges, Captain J Plumpton, 3 crew) wrecked 17 Dec 1901
on West Hoyle Bank carrying iron and scrap from Port Dinorwic to
Liverpool. She became stranded in a WNW force 8 gale and broke up.
The Point of Ayr Lifeboat was called out but the flat had sunk and there
was no trace of the crew (who had landed at Mostyn in their own boat).
Sonar plot of site (depths in metres from CD): Plot.
Fuller discussion of wreck of Ceylon.
-
Page 85 A new wreck discovered by surveying in 2000 north of Hoyle Bank.
Quoted as height 1.4m above seabed of 1.9m depth - size 23mx8m.
Diving on this: it is a small boiler (2.5m long) oriented N/S in
a scour. Seabed is sand. My position is 53°23.567N, 3°22.606W.
Seabed depth survey from 2017: Plot.
Possible identification is as the ALBION (see page 137).
Contemporary Liverpool newspapers report the ALBION as abandoned near
the Bar LV but eventually aground on the West Hoyle Bank. The Albion was a wooden steamship built
Newcastle 1871 (64x19x7ft; 30nt, 53gt) with 14 nhp engine, owned A.
Smith of Liverpool.
Another possible identification is the Renfrew
lost 1895. See further discussion of
Boiler wreck.
- Page 86 (Coniston): more details of the
background to the loss are now known.
- Page 88 (Unknown: Pipe wreck) Since 1 July 2009, this site is in the
"Area to be avoided" around the Douglas platform - so permission to dive
is refused.
- Page 91 (Unknown FV) This wreck site appears from further
diving exploration to be a coaster (most probably the HEBE) and not a
fishing vessel. The winch (small and forward of hold), relatively large
size of main hatch, and location of bollards, all support this.
More details of the background to the loss are
now known.
A survey of the depth.
-
Page 90 (Peru)
Survey of depth of wreck.
-
Page 93 (SS Blanche) Additional information: the bow is intact
close to the seabed and there is a pronounced scour at the bow.
See also errata about wreck position.
Survey of depth of wreck.
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Page 94: Unknown SS.
It is very probable that this wreck is of the paddle steamer Leeds of
the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company which was abandoned in a sinking
state on 24 January 1852. Leeds had a wooden hull (141x25x16ft, 243nt)
built by John Wilson of Liverpool in 1826 with engines by Fawcett of Liverpool
of 130hp. She was a sister ship to PS Sheffield.
For fuller details, see Leeds.
A model of another sister ship (PS Nottingham) built at the same time
to the same specifications shows her appearance:
Model .
The engine components of the wreck suggest that these were side lever
steam engines (which were in use before the 1850's). The two cylinders
have a diameter of about 4 ft. There is no sign of the paddle wheels on
the wreck. See a sonar image: Plot.
For an illustration of a marine side lever engine see
Engine and
Engine .
- Page 106 (Ellan Vannin) see details
for more information on the current state of the wreckage.
- Page 108 and 115: My magnetometer survey confirms that this wreck is
of the mass and extent to be the Ystroom. See Report for more details.
The wreck is mainly under the
sandy seabed and lies WNW-ESE. Some plates are visible and
parts rise 1 metre above the seabed. My estimate of the position is
latitude 53 36.89 N, longitude 3 23.79 W. I have found no sign of the
tower base reported to lie nearby at location 53°36.921N, 3°23.807W.
- Page 109: Formby Towers buoy was removed in 2009 as survey
showed no sign of wreckage.
- Page 110: The buoy marking the wreck of the Ardlough has now been removed.
- Page 116: Barges - one of the concrete barges near the wreck of the
Lightship Alarm is most probably the Conlea
1949 scuttled there by MDHB.
- Page 119: Fastener some 20 metres long: This has been dived on and
is a small steamship with wooden hull. Engine, propeller shaft and
boiler are prominent and there is coarse netting draped over parts of
the wreck. There is a pile of what looks like sacks of coal. It is in
40 metres depth at neaps. One suggestion was that this is the wreck of
the ALBION - but, see above, this is reported as lost on the Hoyle Bank.
Another possibility is the CHIRIA (see page 133), reported as lost 5
miles west of the Bar LV carrying a cargo of coal.
- Page 122: More details of the
wreck of MFV Margarita, including an image.
- Page 123: More details of the location
of the wreck of wooden screw steamer Eversfield 1888.
- Page 123: J. B. Kee 1957: A more recent survey found wreckage at
53°28.493N, 3°15.591W of extent 20m x 6m with height 0.7m
above the seabed.
- Page 125: More details of wreck of
schooner Ann Sumner 1888.
- Page 126: Pilot schooner Mersey:
Following reports from a wind-farm survey in 2013 of a posible wreck
of extent 33 by 14 metres, about 0.2metres proud of the seabed; on
20-8-2021, I surveyed this location by sonar. There is a distinct area
raised above the seabed around the reported position:
53°29.994N, 3°20.159W.
This is near (about 65 metres west) from the position reported by MDHB in 1885
(and repeated in 1967, and given in WLBV2 and charted) as the wreck of the Pilot
Boat Mersey. See dive report.
See Image
of Construction.
- Page 128: Gannochy 1958: A sonar survey in 2006 located wreckage [5m x 2m,
lying 050/230°, rising 0.5m] at 53°30.736N, 3°16.541W. This
is about 50 metres NE of the position quoted in WLBv2.
- Page 132: Gleaner 1940: More details,
[also further details].
- Page 139: Guardian Angel 1867: More
details.
- Page 140: Commandant Bultinck 1929: More
details; see also further details.
- Page 141: Patricia 1910: More
details now known.
-
Page 141: The Fleetwood steam FV Scomber reported seeing
wreckage (mast sticking out 4 ft at LW) 2 miles WxN of Lune Buoy in
7 fathoms on 7-3-1926, and placed a buoy there. Subsequent investigation showed that
this was the wreck of the small coaster Glencona [see below] which had been
abandoned on fire on 1-3-1926 and subsequently sank off the Lune buoy.
[Hydrographic Office report that Scomber sank is wrong].
-
Page 141: The coaster Glencona:
sonar survey of 2008 shows wreckage of length 38m, width 7m, height 2m
lying 153°/336° in position 53°56.421N, 3°13.133W, charted
as wr 10.2m.
A diver, John Lee, was employed in 1926 to disperse the wreck - by
placing explosives
on it to be detonated electrically. He suffered an accident - being pulled to
the surface unconscious - and with the glass of the face-plate of his helmet
broken. He subsequently recovered in hospital.
-
Page 141: The Fleetwood steam FV Queen Alexandra collided with and
sank the Douglas registered fishing smack Sunbeam (ON 95317, 46gt, b
Brixham 1888, owned Fleetwood) [so the Hydrographic Office report has the
wrong Sunbeam]. More details.
- Page 141: The SS Lyra (b 1881 Sunderland) was
not wrecked near Fleetwood in 1922 and continued trading until the
1950s. A possible explanation is that this site (at 53°55.090N,
3°6.755W, charted as Wr 0.3m) was known to be that of the SS Lyra (lost 1861) but only reported
to the HO in 1922.
- Page 142:
Lightship no.70. More details
of the loss and location of the Morecambe Bay Light Vessel in 1903.
Urania: More details of the loss of the
SS Urania in 1880.
Lyra: More details of the loss
and location of the PS Lyra in 1861.
- Page 143: PS Prince Arthur: More details of the loss
of the PS Prince Arthur in 1850.
- Page 144: Arran Castle: Reported missing April 1866 on a delivery voyage
from Glasgow to London, wreckage from this iron paddle steamer (designed
as a blockade runner) was found floating between Portpatrick and Corsewall Point.
She was assumed to have foundered nearby due to stress of weather.
More detail.
- For movie clips from British Pathe relevant to Liverpool
area (select then click on image):
RN postwar
wreck dispersal using depth charges ;
Pilot
boat tragedy - Charles Livingston ;
Man walking
on upturned boat: Liverpool area circa 1920 ;
Salvage
of Clan MacKenzie in the Mersey 1937 ;
6 tugs trying to pull Lochmonar (stranded on revetment) off (without
success 5-12-1927);
6 tugs
pulling the stern section of Lochmonar for repair (12-12-1927) .
