Ribble Shipwrecks [St Annes to Southport]

This is an index to wrecks discussed on other pages. It is not comprehensive - just a list of some additional wrecks that I have found in my researches.

Wrecks further offshore - so suitable for investigation by divers - are discussed in my books: Wrecks of Liverpool Bay and Wrecks of Liverpool Bay Vol II. Here is a sketch map of the location of some of those wrecks (Coniston, Peru, Blanche, Leeds[Unknown SS], Hebe[Unknown FV], Unknown ballast, Murielle).

Introduction: The Ribble estuary, giving access to the port of Preston, had training walls and was dredged to allow ships to reach Preston Dock (built 1892) until 1981 when the docks were closed.
  From 1994, the channel between the training walls had a wreck drying 6.6 metres charted, near the 13 mile marker. This obstruction was clear by about 2010 and the best route in and out of the Ribble was again between the training walls.
  The origin of this obstruction was the wreck on 6 June 1994 of a ferro-concrete leisure yacht Gean (11.3m long). It was thought to have broken up soon after grounding. More details of rescue of 3 crew by Lytham inshore lifeboat.
  Currently (2020) a wreck is charted in 2m in the entrance channel, this is the SS Hebe sunk 11-12-1911 (see also here).
  Another reported loss [Birmingham Daily Post - Tuesday 12 September 1978]: 26ft sloop Jain from Isle of Man to Fleetwood with a man and a woman from London aboard, lost circa 11 September 1978, body of a woman and yacht gear washed up on Blackpool beach. Wreckage was retrieved by a trawler from the wreck (charted depth 1.4m, close inshore - see below) of a mast, sail with sail number, and harnesses that were identified as having come from the yacht Jain.
  For another charted wreck (depth 1.4m) (possibly Crusader and or Jain) first reported in 2012, close inshore see here.
  Another vessel reported as lost in this vicinity is the Irene Chambers, a 9m long fishing vessel sunk 3-10-1995, charted (as position approximate: PA) in more than 5m and north of the Hebe. This PA is that of the rescue of the 3 survivors and her wreckage is reported to have drifted inshore.

Corry 1817  Off Lytham, 11-15 lost.
Lord Hill 1819   Off Ribble mouth, 29 lost.
Crusader 1839   Crusader Bank, St. Annes, 0 lost. (also Favourite and Ann Paley; many lost)
Chamberlain 1850   Off Southport, 3 lost.
PSS Prince Arthur 1850  Southport shore, 2 lost.
Lytham lifeboat 1852   capsize, 8 lost.
Railway King 1854  Off Blackpool, 0 lost.
Isabella 1854  Off Ribble, 0 lost.
Ann E Hooper 1862  Off Ribble, 4 lost, image.
Brazil 1862  Off Ribble, 0 lost
Rubin 1863  Off Ribble, 0 lost, image
Lytham Lighthouse 1863  Lytham shore, collapsed, 0 lost, image
Henrietta 1864 Ribble banks, 0 lost
SS Coniston 1868  Off Southport, 6 lost.
Nazarene 1872  Off Southport, 18 lost.
Fanny 1885  10 miles off Blackpool, 1 lost.
No 1 Bucket Dredger 1897  Off Ribble, 1 lost. [also see here; possibly refloated]
SS Peru 1899  Off St Annes, 0 lost
SS Hebe 1911  Off Ribble, 0 lost
SS Enterprise 1913  Ribble mouth, 0 lost
SS Zealandia 1917 Off Ribble, 2 lost.
Schooner Herbert Black 1919 Off Marshfield, 0 lost.
FV Endymion 1933 Ribble
Tug Perseverance 1936 Ribble, 0 lost, image
MV Druid 1962 Ribble, 3 lost, images
Whoops! 2019 Lytham

Wrecks of Liverpool Bay Vol II (and updated info) contains the following:
Prince Arthur 1850, Coniston 1868, Bucket Dredger No. 1 1897, Peru 1899, Patricia 1910, Enterprise 1913, Zealandia 1917, Charles Livingston 1939, Ionic Star 1939.

For wrecks on the shore around Southport; see more details here:
Mexico 1886; Star of Hope 1883; Chrysopolis 1918; Zelandia of 1917; Charles Livingston 1939; Ionic Star 1939; Happy Harry 1950; Endymion 1933.

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