Remnants of shipwreck surface on beach after Storm Arwen
AN unusual surprise has been thrown up on a South Tyneside beach in the aftermath of Storm Arwen.
The storm caused destruction by felling trees and wiping out people’s power across the North East, but it has also brought something new to light on Sandhaven Beach in South Shields.
A shipwreck believed to be that of the Constance Ellen, which went down in strong winds off the town’s South Pier in 1901, has emerged from the shifting sands.
Steven Lomas, a probation officer who photographed the wreck, said: “With Storm Arwen, there was always a chance it was going to uncover the shipwreck but as far as I’m aware, it doesn’t show itself regularly. Some of the photographers I know have seen it in the past but it’s been a while since it was seen to this degree.
“I went down on Monday and there it was poking out of the sand. You could see it quite obviously from the pathway and up close it’s even more fantastic. A lot of the side timbers are exposed.”
The name plate of the Constance Ellen can be seen at the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade.