Position ... Withheld (Haisborough Sands)

Type ... Barque

Built ... 1875

Builder ... Humphreys, Pearson & Co, Hull

Owner ... Owned by several co owners with Hugh Roberts of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne being appointed managing owner on the 2nd of May 1876

Lost ... 16th January 1881

Cause of loss ... Grounded on Haisborough Sands

Depth ... 6 - 12mtrs

Construction ... Iron

Dimensions ... 66 x 10.6 x 6.2 mtrs

Forecastle ... 36 feet

Poop ... 39 feet

Tonnage ... Gross 1157

Cargo ... Coal plus additional unspecified

Holds ... x3

Casualties ... 0

Identification ... This is the site / wreck of the 1875 built iron Barque North Wales.  In July of 2023 the site was located and identified by Paul Hennessey of Norfolk Wreck Research.  At the deepest the wreck is in 12mtrs along its starboard side. The port side forward of midships sits in  6-7mtrs, this being where a sand bank has formed. On reaching the seabed on our first dive on the site it became immediately apparent that this was the wreck of a sailing ship of metal construction. Initial research offered up four potential candidates as to the vessels possible identity, these being the Alf, Optima, Tay and the North Wales. During subsequent dives the site revealed itself  to be that of a coal carrying vessel. Throughout the wreckage there is no end to large pieces of coal, many of these being up to twelve inches in length and nine inches across (approx). With this in mind the Alf and the Tay could now be dismissed as neither vessel was carrying coal at the time of its loss. This in turn now leaving two potential candidates, ie the Optima and the North Wales. At the time of the Optima's loss she was carrying a cargo of coke, coal and patent fuel (much of this being salvaged / jettisoned at the time of her loss). The North Wales is listed as having a cargo of coal (1572 tons) and an additional unspecified cargo. The Optima's registered dimensions are 95 x 13.3 x 7.8mtrs. The North Wales registered dimensions are 66 x10.6 x6.2. Further research in to the Optima and the North Wales revealed the hatch sizes for both the North Wales and the Optima. On site was the intact forward hatch of the vessel.  On measuring the length of the site, bow to stern, the overall length showed itself to be 67mtrs. In addition the intact forward hatch cover was an exact match in size as to that fitted on the North Wales. Conclusion ... From the data gathered and the cargo of coal it is now concluded that this is in fact the wreck of the North Wales. The length of the site and the forward hatch measurements are consistent with that of the North Wales. Of note ... Evidence suggests that this site is one of a virgin nature and that the team that dived it in July 2023 were in fact the first people to see the North Wales since she was lost 142 years ago.

Below ... Side scan image of the North Wales. Courtesy of Neil Hooper

Below ... Deck house porthole recovered by Paul Hennessey in 2023 (Reported to the ROW in 2023). The deck house is the rectangular structure just aft of the forward mast as shown above.

Below ... Forward hatch. Measurements consistent with the North Wales. (Paul Hennessey)

Loss of the North Wales (Summary) ... Whilst en route from Newcastle-Upon -Tyne to Java with a cargo of 1572 tons of coal the North Wales grounded on Haisborough Sands. The Master of the North Wales (William Williams) had on board a North Sea Pilot who had been responsible for much of the navigation of the vessel. At the court of enquiry the court found that the stranding of the North Wales was the cause of those in charge, and particularly that of the pilot who had been mistaken as to the true position of the vessel.

In the opinion of the court blame was attached to the North Sea pilot (James Jackson). The Master (William Williams) was found to be in default, this being due to the fact that he had shown to much reliance on the pilot and should have in turn verified the position of the vessel himself.

Below ... One of the bow anchors on the seabed (Paul Hennessey)

Life Boat (Caister) ... On the evening of Sunday 16th January a letter was received by a messenger from Sea Palling Station that a ship was on Haisborough Sands. A steam tug was sent out from Great Yarmouth and on the following morning the Caister No2  life boat (Godsend) also set off to aid the stricken vessel. On arriving on the sands they found the North Wales hard on the sand bank. With a flooding tide the steam tug endeavoured to pull the North Wales free. After several attempts all failed and the North Wales started to take on water. With no hope of saving the vessel the Caister life boat took off all twenty crew members plus the pilot and then transfered them to the steam tug.

Below ... Hawsholes on starboard bow (Paul Hennessey)

North Wales (2023) ... The North Wales makes for an excellent dive. At a max depth of 12mtrs there is plenty of time to take in all that this beautiful wreck has to offer. The most intact section of the wreck is the magnificent clipper bow, this standing some 4-5mtrs tall. This is completely intact and upright. The bowsprit is not to be seen, there is no evidence of this on the seabed below. Both the port and starboard anchors are now to be found on the seabed below. Up against the starboard side of the bow standing vertical is a broken section of the foremast. The forecastle is open and offers a good area of exploration.  Back from the bows can be found the stump of the foremast standing some 15 feet or so. Around this area can be seen the forward hatch, winch, spare anchor and a small vertical boiler complete with brass valves for powering the steam winches. Heading aft from this point the North Wales is quite broken with much of the wreckage standing 1-2mtrs in height in places. Once again this area as with the rest of the site shows evidence of the cargo carried, ie coal. On the way to the stern can be seen two more winches. and various pieces of associated steam pipe. What now remains of the stern appears to be over on its starboard side and stands about 3mtrs proud of the seabed.

North Wales update (2024)

On the 8th July and with a break in the weather we got out to the North Wales as to see how the winter months had affected the site. On arrival it became quite evident that much of the area from midships to the stern had now become exposed due to the movement of sand on the site. For the most part this has taken the form of beams and frames now being exposed just clear of the seabed, plus a winch. In addition the sand has cleared and exposed more of the associated wreckage around the stern area. The rudder can now be seen lying on the seabed next to the large stern section. Off to the starboard side of the midships area more wreckage is also now exposed due to the movement of the sand.

We were lucky enough to have the very talented photographer Sam Lister on the team who was able to provide some fantastic images of the site as shown below.

Team members ... Paul Hennessey, Sam Lister, Barry Lister, Paul Whistler, Roger Smith and Mike Thomas.

Stern ... To the bottom right can be seen the rudder lying flat on the seabed (Sam Lister)

Bow ... Curve of the clipper bow with the starboard anchor in the sand (Sam Lister)

Winch (Sam Lister)

Bow ... Section of foremast resting up against the upper bow (Sam LIster)

Winch (Sam Lister)

Mast (Sam Lister)

Conservation ... At the time of discovery (2023) the only people to know the position of the North Wales were Paul Hennessey of Norfolk Wreck Research and members of the BSAC branch EAB11 Anglian Divers. As stated previously this site showed itself to be that of a virgin nature, ie it had never been dived before. In addition to this the site showed no sign of ever being fished / potted. Throughout the site there was no sign of lost fishing gear as would normally be expected on a wreck in this area. In addition the life on the wreck, namely the crabs and lobsters showed themselves to be way above average size as would be normally seen on other wrecks. This in turn supported our belief that the site of the North Wales had remained untouched by humans since the day she was lost and in turn the crabs and lobsters had been afforded the opportunity to thrive without the interference of humans. To this end and in order to allow the life on the North Wales to continue to thrive Anglian Divers have implemented a no take policy on the site, ie none of its members whilst conducting club dives on the site are permitted to remove / catch and land lobsters or crabs. Of note ... The position of the North Wales will now be withheld in order to allow the continued well being of the sea life that call the North Wales their home.

Below ... One of the large lobsters that call the North Wales their home (Paul Hennessey)

Below ... Curve of the clipper bow with a section of the foremast resting against the starboard side (Paul Hennessey)

Below ... Lignum vitae dead eye (Paul Hennessey)

Below ... One of two anchors located next to the forward hatch (Paul Hennessey)

Below ... Furnace, small vertical boiler (Paul Hennessey)

Below ... Remains of the stern over on its starboard side (Paul Hennessey)

Below ... Section of mast (Paul Hennessey)