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Shipwreck Guide to Dorset and South Devon

Author:         Nigel J Clarke

Pages.          165

Pictures.        67
 
Maps.             7

Price.             £14.95

Local Dorset award winning author Nigel Clarke has recently published the new edition of the Shipwreck Guide to Dorset and South Devon.                                                                           

Said Nigel Clarke; “The book has taken two years of research and numerous letters and telephone conversations to some of the leading local maritime academics. I am grateful to the local skippers and divers who gave me access to their logs and records and without their help this book could not have been published.”

The coast of Dorset and South Devon has one of the greatest densities of shipwrecks in Europe. The age and variety of wrecks encompass every period of our maritime history.
From a ship Bronze Age wreck at Salcombe to the recent and infamous cargo ship the Napoli, at Branscombe.

Conservation and preservation of our fish stocks and marine fauna is now a major concern. Shipwrecks are  man-made artificial reefs which attract numerous residential and seasonal migratory fish and are now an established and important part of our local coastal ecology. They are also an undervalued economic recourse attracting both divers and anglers and one that seems sadly neglected by our local and national authorities. There is no local or national policy as to their management and promotion.

In recent years many of these wrecks have come under threat from marine salvage experts wishing to capitalise on the rising cost of metals. In the past one person’s tragedy became another’s enrichment. The old traditional pastime of wrecking still flourishes.

The stranding of the Napoli, though tragic, brought considerable economic benefit to the area of East Devon, attracting numerous tourists and many shipwreckers’. The crowds that descended onto the beach at Branscombe, salvaged from the smashed containers large quantities of nappies, dog food, shampoo, cosmetics, wine barrels and motorbikes. These goods that had been washed ashore, would have all been soon been destroyed by the sea.

Said Nigel Clarke; “I managed to collect over seventy bottles of shampoo from my local beach, which had been washed out of the smashed containers, but I am afraid ‘Pantene for Blonds’ had little effect on my grey hair.” Proctor & Gamble, the manufacturer, did donate £1000 to the newly established Gig Club at Lyme Regis, as compensation for the bottles strewn on the local beaches which they then had salvage teams collect. 

Many of the largest wrecks along the coast date from WW1 and are now falling apart from rust and age. The old battleship “HMS Hood” sunk in Portland Harbour (1914) was closed to divers in recent years due to  concerns over “Health and Safety” with regards the structural integrity of the vessel. Diving is now banned on the site.

In recent years anglers and divers in Dorset and Devon have campaigned for the managed sinking of new vessels, but process of approval and bureaucracy involved takes a very long time.

The benefits of sinking new wrecks are considerable. In spring 2004 the decommissioned former frigate HMS Scylla was sunk off Plymouth and became the UK’s first artificial reef. The economic benefit and increase in visitors to the area have been considerable and the site is being monitored by marine biologists from the National Marine Aquarium to research the benefits of wrecks in attracting marine species.

The book contains the details, location and information on over 350 wrecks that can be found off the Dorset and South Devon coast, each wreck has a story and is now a home to all sorts of marine creatures.

If only you could pull a plug and drain the sea……………………. 

Wrecks of Interest off Dorset and South Devon Coast  (see book for further details)

The Miniota Portland
The silver bullion wreck. Sunk in 1917 still listed as carrying £200,000 of silver bullion

Earl of Abergavenny; (Weymouth)
The watery grave of Captain John Wordsworth, brother of the poet William Wordsworth.

The Valentine Tanks. (Poole)
Amphibious tanks which sank while practising for the D-Day landings.

LST 507; WW2 Tank Landing Craft from operation Tiger
The watery grave of 434 American servicemen who went down in the  landing craft after a bungled exercise preparing for landings in Normandy.

Medina;
The Governor of Bengal Lord Carmicheal lost all his personal possessions while returning from India back to England rumoured to be gold and jewels which have never been found.

HMS Formidable; Lyme Bay
The tragic sinking and loss of this massive warship on New Year’s Day 1915, with the death of 540 crew and ratings. The subsequent miraculous licking of a dog called Lassie  at Lyme Regis brought back one sailor from the brink of death and went on to become the inspiration of the Hollywood animal legend of the same name.

HMS M2; Lyme Bay
The submarine was lost with all hands when the experimental submarine which was fitted with a seaplane and an internal hanger failed to secure the water-tight doors on the bow and the vessel became swamped and sank.

De Boot; Prawle Point
The East Indiaman sank in 1738 returning from the Far East. The cargo included a large quantity of uncut diamonds valued at the time £250,000 none of which was ever recovered.
Facts
Book lists over 370 shipwrecks
£250,000 of lost silver bullion is listed on the manifest of the Miniota
Medieval wrecks
The wrecks of colliers have enough coal to power Plymouth for a month
Lost cargo of uncut diamonds.
One wreck the “Taxiarcos” is  listed as having a cargo of bones.
The lost gold bullion of the “Haswell”