Mystery of 120-year-old shipwreck finally solved

Experts say they have finally solved the mystery of a shipwreck that has lain on the seabed for more than 120 years.

The boat was found off the coast of St Albans Head in Dorset in 1990 and named Pin Wreck due to the hundreds of metal bolts that lay around it.

Made of wood with yellow metal sheathings, it measures around 24m in length and lies at a depth of about 27m.

A team from Bournemouth University (BU) has now identified the ship as an Admiralty mooring lighter built in 1866 and sunk in bad weather in 1903.

Mooring lighters were towed vessels containing mechanical devices for moving heavy loads and were used for laying moorings and in salvage work.

It’s thought the Admiralty mooring lighter had been used in the salvage operation of HMS Eurydice in 1878 after it sank.

A ceramic fragment attached to a large pulley block marked ‘Portsmouth Dockyard’ was previously recovered, prompting the team to examine records from the historic Hampshire port.

A university spokesman said: ‘Research in the national archives uncovered plans of two identical lighters from Portsmouth dockyard, named YC5 and YC8.

‘These were the only vessels whose precise details matched that of the wreck, but there was no record of their loss.

‘They then found a crucial piece of the puzzle in a copy of the Shipping Gazette from September 11th 1903.

‘This reported the sinking of a mooring lighter off St Albans Head in rough weather whilst on tow from Portsmouth to Portland.

‘Thirty men had to transfer from the lighter to its tug before it sank.’

The spokesman said the team had since confirmed the wreck as being that of YC8, adding: ‘The BU team have now applied for the wreck to be designated as a protected site.’

Dave Parham, professor of maritime archaeology at BU, who led the investigation, said: ‘This is a rare example of a type of service vessel which was essential for maintaining the operations of Britain’s ports in the nineteenth century, so it is vital that we preserve it.

‘Its identity has remained a mystery for three decades but what we observed on our dive meant we could find the clues that could reveal the secrets of the wreck and understand how it ended up on the seabed.’

He added: ‘The materials the vessel is made from suggest a high-quality build, possibly linked to a royal dockyard.

‘The fact it appears to have been lost in service and was carrying substantial haulage equipment means it could offer valuable insight into the role these craft played in our maritime history.’

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