100 Best Wreck Dives
THE ROYAL CHARTER - 87
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| Number 87 |
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2719-ton iron clipper ship. Built 1854. 235ft x 41ft. Armed. Cargo: Gold, valued then at 321,000. Melbourne for Liverpool. Position: 53 21.77N; 04 15.20W. Depth: 5-20m.
Sunk: 26 October, 1859, blown ashore at Moelfre, Anglesey, after hurricane-force winds broke anchor cables. Ship broke up. 459 of 500 drowned. Salvage divers have recovered all apart from 30,000-worth of gold cargo.
Diving: Many broken ribs and plating within a few yards of the shore. Sovereigns have been found. Diver Syd Wignall reported locating a gold ingot in 1958, but ran out of air before he could free it. On his return a storm had covered the area in sand. He gave the location as 5m deep, 20m from the rocks.
Launch: Moelfre. |
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