30-year-old Dorset shipwreck mystery solved by Bournemouth University archaeologists

Bournemouth University archaeologists have solved the mystery of a 120-year-old Dorset shipwreck.

Named after the hundreds of metal bolts surrounding it, “Pin Wreck” was discovered off the coast of St Albans Head in 1990, more than thirty years ago.

It is reported to be about twenty-four metres long, constructed of wood with yellow metal sheathings and lies at a depth of around twenty-seven metres.

In 2019, the Bournemouth team dived into the wreck after viewing objects recovered from the site in the 1990s by Nigel Bryant, a former employee of the university.

It was evident during the dive and the layout of the wreck that Pin Wreck was an Admiralty mooring lighter built in 1866 and is believed to have been used in the salvage operation of HMS Eurydice off the Isle of Wight in 1878.

A key element of the mystery was discovered, however, through a copy of the Shipping Gazette from 11th September 1903, which 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 off the Dorset coast.

via Bournemouth University

The plans of two identical lighters from Portsmouth Dockyard, named YC5 and YC8, were also uncovered by research from the national archives.

Sheilah and Martin Openshaw, who worked with the Bournemouth team, found a reference to the lighter lost in September 1903 which confirmed the wreck’s identity as that of YC8.

The BU team has now applied for the wreck to be designated as a protected site.

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Dave Parham, professor of maritime archaeology at Bournemouth University who has 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.

“The materials the vessel is made from suggest a high-quality build, possibly linked to a royal dockyard. The fact it appeared 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.”

Featured image via Bournemouth University

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