AMAZING HIDDEN WRECKS OF WALES
WHEN you think of great historical sites in Wales you probably picture epic castles, crumbling abbeys or Roman ruins. What you may not know is that there are six protected sites hidden beyond view.
These windows into history do not have gifts shops, they do not offer a season ticket and for some you even need permission to go within 300 metres of them.
These are the hidden wrecks of Wales that lay beneath the waves off its coast.
There are only six “designated wrecks” in Welsh waters and these are given protected status under the 1973 Protection of Wrecks Act.
Anyone who visits, films or surveys these sunken vessels needs to get a special licence from the Welsh Government.
Divers must make sure not to disturb the structures or remove any of the artefacts from inside. According to Cadw, a “wreck” is a catch-all term for anything that has been lost at sea. It includes items that have fallen overboard or the ship itself.
This means that when you find items like portholes, bells, compasses, pots, cannons, coins, or nameplates you must refer them to the Receiver of Wreck who will try to trace the owner and document items of historic value.
Here are the six hidden wrecks: Of the six sites this one dates back the furthest – almost a millennium.
The Smalls is a lonely rock 12 miles off the mainland of Pembrokeshire, west of St Brides Bay.
The rock boasts its own lighthouse and it can’t be said it wasn’t needed.
Scattered around the rocks, there are large amounts of debris from 19th and 20th century ships. Divers can see anchors and propellers on the seabed but it is something much older that has earned the area its protected status.
In August 1991, a sports diver from Milton Keynes Sub Aqua Club noticed something poking beneath the steel plating of modern wrecks.
According to Coflein (an online catalogue of archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage in Wales), it was a Viking sword hilt guard, measuring 118mm long, with silver wire decoration showing stylised animals interwoven with a snake-like beast.
Because of the quality of the decoration and materials used, experts believe it dated from the 11th century. It probably belonged to a person with high status, such as a travelling chieftain. Whether the sword was lost overboard or was lost when a Viking ship sank near the Smalls is unknown.
The guard is now with the National Museum of Wales, whose staff could find no trace of the ship itself, unsurprising after almost 1,000 years. The site was designated on November 20, 1995, with a 300m radius protecting it.
That radius has now reduced the area to 100m, to allow sports divers to continue exploring the popular Smalls area. up the The HMY Mary had the proud title of being the first royal yacht of the Royal Navy. Unfortunately it was also the first royal yacht to sink.
It was built by the Dutch East India Company and given to King Charles II when he was restored to the throne.
On March 25, 1675, she hit a rock amid heavy fog near Anglesey while making a routine trip from Dublin to Chester. She capsized, and of the 74 people on board, only 39 made it to the shore to be rescued two days later.
In the 20th century, there were fears of looters taking some of the artefacts on board and a rescue was organised.
The artefacts, which included a bronze cannon, were taken to the Merseyside Museums, who now have more than 1,500 objects from the Mary on display. Another casualty of the seas around Anglesey was this cargo vessel, dating from around the 14th or 15th century.
The identity of the vessel remains unknown, but it seems to have sunk with a 20-ton cargo of some 40,000 slates.
This has been a very important historical find, as it tells us what was happening in the North Wales slate industry at the time of the Tudors.
The slates were from the Llanberis area, split with a gouge and stacked into the wooden vessel, which survives beneath its heavy cargo.
It was discovered during a marine biological survey in March 1976 and, due to its potential for giving us a window into the maritime and industrial history of Wales, was designated on March 8, 1978.
It is illegal to dive within 150m or interfere with the wreck without permission unless a licence is given by Welsh Government. This heavily armed merchant vessel sank in around 1702, leaving behind a treasure trove of historical insights.
The cargo was 65 tonnes of Carerra marble from Italy and it was well armed with 18 main battery, eight smaller cast iron and 10 wrought iron guns.
It has been partially excavated to reveal her bell and range of navigational and domestic artefacts.
The wreck is about 10m down and