Wreck of an Admiralty mooring lighter, known as the 'Pin Wreck', located off St Albans Head

Summary

The site comprises the wreck of an admiralty mooring lighter, known as the ‘Pin Wreck’, located off St Albans Head, Dorset. Documentary sources report the loss of a mooring lighter in this area on 11 September 1903, while en route from Portsmouth to Portland to lay moorings. The surviving material on the seabed comprises the remains of a wooden barge, with iron knees and copper/yellow metal sheathing. The machinery and mooring equipment, including a capstan and donkey boiler are still in place.

Reasons for Designation

The wooden wreck site located off St Albans Head, Dorset, in approximately 27m of water, is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Period: the interpretation of the wreck assemblage indicates that the site is the remains of a mid C19 to early C20 vessel. The wreck is the remains of an admiralty mooring lighter, most likely lost on 11 September 1903 while en route from Portsmouth to Portland to lay moorings;
* Rarity: the wreck is a unique example of a rare vessel type, upon which the operation of ports and anchorages were reliant to maintain their facilities;
* Potential: the equipment and machinery are still in place, and artefacts including early diving equipment have been discovered. The wreck site has the potential to inform on the construction and use of vessels involved in the operation of ports and anchorages in the late C19 and early C20;
* Vulnerability: elements of the wreck and mobile artefacts exposed on the seabed remain vulnerable to uncontrolled salvage and theft.

History

The site comprises the wreck of an admiralty mooring lighter, located off St Albans Head, Dorset. Mooring lighters were dumb vessels, equipped with a capstan or windlass on the stern and horns on the bow. They were utilised in the laying and recovery of moorings as well as in salvage work. Originally fitted with manual capstans, during the later part of the C19 lighters were fitted with steam powered capstans, as seen on this wreck.

The identity of the wreck has not yet been confirmed. However it is probably the remains of Yard Craft (YC) 8, a steam mooring lighter built at, and operated out of, Portsmouth Dockyard. YC 8 was launched in 1866, and sold in August 1897. YC 8 is thought to be one of the two mooring lighters depicted in the painting by Henry Robbins depicting the salvage operations in progress on the wreck of HMS Eurydice, lost off the Isle of Wight in 1878. Documentary research has identified the loss of a mooring lighter in this area on 11 September 1903, while en route from Portsmouth to Portland to lay mornings. The lighter was under tow by the tug Enterprise, when it sank in rough weather in approximately 23 fathoms of water. The report indicated that attempts would be made to raise the lighter, but that currents in the area were very strong. An entry from the Admiralty index and digests at the National Archives refers to ‘gear lost in number 8 Mooring Lighter off St Albans Head’, including buoys, shackles, chain cable etc. This matches the equipment visible on the wreck site.

The wreck was originally discovered in 1990 by a Weymouth based diving charter boat skipper, and dubbed the ‘Pin Wreck’, due to the hundreds of yellow metal bolts discovered on the site.

Maritime Archaeologists from Bournemouth University dived the site in 2019 and identified it as the remains of an admiralty mooring lighter.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the archaeological remains of an admiralty mooring lighter lie on a sandy seabed, and cover an area of approximately 33m by 17m. The wreck comprises the remains of a wooden dumb barge, with iron knees and copper/yellow metal sheathing. The machinery and mooring equipment, including a capstan and donkey boiler are still in place, indicating that the vessel foundered whilst in service. No part of the scheduled area lies above the high-water mark of ordinary spring tides.

DESCRIPTION: the wreck measures approximately 24m in length, and lies at a depth of 27m. The wreck is orientated approximately N-S, with the bow located towards the south. It is of wooden construction with iron knees, fastened with yellow metal bolts and is copper sheathed. The frames are fastened with clinch bolts with circular washers which are up to 1 inch (25mm) in diameter, and approximately 2ft (610mm) long, with a broad arrow stamped at one end. The hull is rounded at both ends, with a tub-like shape. The sides of the hull stand only slightly clear of the seabed. The wooden elements have been largely eroded away, and the shape of the wreck is defined by its copper sheathing. The wreck contains a horn and roller system on the bow, a donkey boiler engine and large capstan at the stern. A large quantity of stud chain, two admiralty pattern anchors, and two mooring buoys are also contained within the hull. Several large pulley blocks have been recovered from within the wreck, and are now held by Bournemouth University. These are larger than those used in ship rigging or in winding gear used for loading cargo onto a ship. In addition early diving equipment has been found on the wreck, and there is potential for more to be contained within the hull. The artefact assemblage indicates a date of loss between the mid-C19 and the early C20.

Scheduled area: 50m within 50 33.181 N, 02 09.634 W (WGS84)

Sources

Books and journals
Hinchcliffe, J, Hinchcliffe, V, A Diver Guide: Dive Dorset (1999),
Winfield, R, Lyon, D, The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889 (2004),

Other
Parham, D, Cousins, T & Bryant, N. 2024. ‘The Pin Wreck. Undesignated Site Assessment.’ Bournemouth University. Unpublished Report.

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