Discovery Wrecks

These are the eight wrecks whose secrets our Wreck Detectives set out to solve:

1. Alum Bay Wreck
The mystery wreck discovered ten years ago in Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight. Archaeologists think it might be the only surviving piece of one of Nelson's finest frigates HMS Pomone, but have never been able to prove this.

Wreck Detectives’ findings: The dimensions on the timbers and frames strongly suggest it was the frigate Pomone. A unique structural feature proves that the wreck had to come from the HMS Pomone.

2. Earl of Abergavenny
One of the largest British East Indiamen built, captained by William Wordsworth's brother John. Disaster struck mysteriously in 1805 when the ship went down just 1.5 miles from land and many of the crew died.

Wreck Detectives’ findings: Copper pins attached to the iron bracket which fixes the deck to the hull would have caused the iron to rot, and the pins to come loose. As a result, the ship came apart, went down quickly and lives were lost.

3. Mingary Castle
Discovered only a few years ago, this mysterious wreck lies in the waters beneath Mingary Castle in the Sound of Mull. Artefacts from the wreck suggest it may be over 300 years old, but the ship’s identity is unknown.

Wreck Detectives’ findings: The cannons were dated 1640 to 70 and were identified as different to the ship's own arsenal. A diary of a prisoner held in Mingary Castle in 1644 refers to a siege of the castle and the wrecking of a Parliamentarian Dutch ship.

4. HMS Lawford
During the D-Day invasions on France in 1944, HMS Lawford was hit by enemy fire and sank; 37 men died. Was the ship really downed by a torpedo?

Wreck Detectives’ findings: The survivors' accounts tell of an explosion on the ship before it sank. A torpedo or guided missile could have caused the explosion. The Detectives spot a new piece of wreckage, whose metal structure is bent outwards, showing the explosion came from inside the ship, and was a guided missile.

5. Stirling Castle
Arguably the most impressive historic wreck in Britain. It was lost on the Goodwin Sands off Kent in 1703, in one of the worst storms ever to hit Britain. Amazingly 21 men survived.

Wreck Detectives’ findings: The Stirling Castle seems to have dragged its anchor, slowing the ship's progress towards the Goodwin Sands. This delay meant it narrowly avoiding the fate of the other ships that were grounded. As the storm continued, the high seas swamped the ship. Full of water, it sank on to the sands, leaving just the stern exposed for a fortunate few to cling to.

6. St. Peter Port
Wrecks These are the earliest wooden wrecks ever found in British waters. Sadly the spinning propellers of ferries are now threatening to destroy them with their constant passage into the Channel Island port.

Wreck Detectives’ findings: Further examination of the wrecks shows them to be mid-13th century trading vessels, taking wine and other products along the Atlantic seaboard. They may have been sunk either by a fierce storm or by raiding French ships from Brittany.

7. The Swan
One of the only surviving examples of the royal warships built by Charles I to combat piracy. Supposedly designed to be fast and agile, new evidence seems to challenge that view.

Wreck Detectives’ findings: Even though the Swan was designed to be a new faster ship, the conservative English shipbuilders couldn't resist weighing it down with heavy, sturdy timbers and prestigious carvings.

8. HMS Hazardous
After 20 years of studying a wreck off the south coast, divers think they might have found HMS Hazardous - the prestigious French navy warship Le Hazardeux, which was captured and renamed by the English in 1703 and lost in a storm three years later.

Wreck Detectives’ findings: By finding cant frames on this wreck (which were peculiar to French ships of the time), the Detectives prove that this is HMS Hazardous.