Blackpool shipwrecks
Encyclopedia
Blackpool and the Fylde coast
has become a ship graveyard
to a number of vessels over the years. Most of the shipwrecks occurred at or near Blackpool
, whilst a few happened a little further afield but have strong connections with the Blackpool area. For the purposes of this article, Blackpool means the stretch of coast from Fleetwood
to Lytham St Annes
.
were jailed after being caught stealing the cargo.
Aristocrat was wrecked opposite the Imperial Hydro in 1840. Two of the passengers were drowned.
William Henry was wrecked at South Shore, laden with flour and lard.
Favourite, of Liverpool
was wrecked off Blackpool on 22 November 1865 with the loss of ten crew. She was carrying a cargo of palm oil and seed.
Lexington was wrecked, the crew of fourteen were saved by the lifeboat.
Bessie Jones was lost on Salthouse Bank on 26 February 1880. One man was lost, but four were saved. It was this shipwreck that led to a campaign for a lifeboat at St. Annes.
was sailing from Fleetwood to Florida
in the United States
on 9 October 1892 when it was caught up in a hurricane and smashed into North pier, destroying part of the pier. The eleven crew members jumped onto the pier to safety. The ship's wheel is housed in Blackpool lifeboat
house.
on 12 February 1894 when the anchor chain snapped. She was beached between Squires Gate and St. Annes, being refloated 11 days later. The beach became a temporary fairground.
On 22 December 1894, the Norwegian ship, Abana was sailing from Liverpool
to Florida but was caught up in a storm and mistook the then recently built Blackpool Tower
for a lighthouse
. The Abana was first seen off North Pier but by the time the lifeboat, which had to be towed by horse from Blackpool to Bispham, had been launched it had drifted to Little Bispham
where it was wrecked. The ship's bell still hangs in St Andrews Church in Cleveleys. The remains of the Abana are still visible at low tide on the beach at Little Bispham
. On the same day as the Abana hit the pier, a fishing boat from Fleetwood, the Petrel was also driven ashore by the same storm close to Uncle Tom's Cabin at North Shore.
The HMS Foudroyant
, which had been used by Nelson
as his flagship from 6 June 1799 until the end of June 1801, was wrecked on 16 June 1897, during a fund-raising voyage around the coast of Great Britain
. The Foudroyant came to Blackpool from Southport
on 4 June and anchored two miles out to sea between Central and North piers. Just before 6am on 16 June the ship was caught up in a hurricane force storm and broke anchor. She drifted toward land, and just missed the jetty at North pier before hitting the shore slightly to the north at Cocker Square. The ship was then bought by a local syndicate who made souvenirs from the wood. Most of the ship though was broken up in a storm in November 1897.
Formerly a Fleetwood
trawler, Commandant Bultinck was wrecked on Rossall Beach on 3 December 1929. Three people were killed.
coaster that ran aground on Knot Spit in 1964. She was refloated six days later.
On 31 January 2008, the Riverdance
a RORO
ferry in service on the Irish Sea
, was travelling from Warrenpoint
in Northern Ireland
to Heysham
when it ran into trouble at about 19:30. A total of twenty three people were airlifted from the ferry, which ran aground on the beach at Anchorsholme, Cleveleys, opposite Anchorsholme Lane at about 22:50. The ship was beached very close to the remains of the Abana. On 1 February a 400 metre exclusion zone was placed around the stricken ferry and it was revealed that the ferry could be stranded on the beach for some time before salvage teams could remove her. The ship suffered further structural damage during storms on 12 March, and it was announced on 10 April that all attempts to refloat her had been abandoned and that she was to be scrapped on site.
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
has become a ship graveyard
Ship graveyard
A ship graveyard or ship cemetery is a location where the hulls of scrapped ships are left to decay and disintegrate, or left in reserve...
to a number of vessels over the years. Most of the shipwrecks occurred at or near Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, whilst a few happened a little further afield but have strong connections with the Blackpool area. For the purposes of this article, Blackpool means the stretch of coast from Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
to Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes is a conurbation in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The neighbouring towns of Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea have grown together and now form a seaside resort...
.
The "Pea Soup" wreck - 1779
In the autumn of 1779 a ship laden with peas was wrecked at Blackpool.Fanny - 1821
The Fanny was wrecked off the coast of Blackpool in 1821, laden with red and black flannel.Crusader - 1839
The Crusader was wrecked at South Shore in 1839, laden with silk. Some looters from MartonMarton, Blackpool
Marton is a settlement on the coastal plain of the Fylde in Lancashire, England, most of which is now part of the seaside town of Blackpool. Marton, which consisted of Great Marton, Little Marton, Marton Fold and The Peel, was originally part of the parish of Poulton-le-Fylde, before the...
were jailed after being caught stealing the cargo.
Aristocrat - 1840
The BrigBrig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Aristocrat was wrecked opposite the Imperial Hydro in 1840. Two of the passengers were drowned.
William Henry - 1861
The schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
William Henry was wrecked at South Shore, laden with flour and lard.
St Michael - 1864
The St. Michael was wrecked at Blackpool on 18 September 1864. The new lifeboat rescued the crew of fourteen.Favourite - 1865
The brigBrig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Favourite, of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
was wrecked off Blackpool on 22 November 1865 with the loss of ten crew. She was carrying a cargo of palm oil and seed.
Lexington - 1865
The barqueBarque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
Lexington was wrecked, the crew of fourteen were saved by the lifeboat.
Bessie Jones - 1880
The Fleetwood schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Bessie Jones was lost on Salthouse Bank on 26 February 1880. One man was lost, but four were saved. It was this shipwreck that led to a campaign for a lifeboat at St. Annes.
Sirene - 1892
The Norwegian ship SireneSirene (barque)
The Sirene was a barque that was wrecked against Blackpool's North Pier on 9 October 1892.-Shipwreck:The Sirene was sailing from Fleetwood to Florida in the United States when she was caught in a storm on 9 October 1892 and ended up wrecked alongside North Pier, Blackpool...
was sailing from Fleetwood to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 9 October 1892 when it was caught up in a hurricane and smashed into North pier, destroying part of the pier. The eleven crew members jumped onto the pier to safety. The ship's wheel is housed in Blackpool lifeboat
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
house.
SS Huntcliff - 1894
The tramp steamer SS Huntcliff had been anchored off LlandudnoLlandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
on 12 February 1894 when the anchor chain snapped. She was beached between Squires Gate and St. Annes, being refloated 11 days later. The beach became a temporary fairground.
Abana - 1894
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Florida but was caught up in a storm and mistook the then recently built Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
for a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
. The Abana was first seen off North Pier but by the time the lifeboat, which had to be towed by horse from Blackpool to Bispham, had been launched it had drifted to Little Bispham
Bispham, Blackpool
Bispham is a village roughly one-and-a-half miles north of Blackpool town centre on the Fylde coast in the county of Lancashire, England.-Geography and administration:...
where it was wrecked. The ship's bell still hangs in St Andrews Church in Cleveleys. The remains of the Abana are still visible at low tide on the beach at Little Bispham
Bispham, Blackpool
Bispham is a village roughly one-and-a-half miles north of Blackpool town centre on the Fylde coast in the county of Lancashire, England.-Geography and administration:...
. On the same day as the Abana hit the pier, a fishing boat from Fleetwood, the Petrel was also driven ashore by the same storm close to Uncle Tom's Cabin at North Shore.
HMS Foudroyant - 1897
HMS Foudroyant (1798)
HMS Foudroyant was an 80-gun third rate of the Royal Navy. She was built at Plymouth Dockyard and launched on 31 March 1798.Goodwin gives the launch date for Foudroyant as 31 March, 25 May, and 31 August. The text highlights this discrepancy and attributes the August date to Lyon's Sailing Navy...
, which had been used by Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
as his flagship from 6 June 1799 until the end of June 1801, was wrecked on 16 June 1897, during a fund-raising voyage around the coast of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The Foudroyant came to Blackpool from Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
on 4 June and anchored two miles out to sea between Central and North piers. Just before 6am on 16 June the ship was caught up in a hurricane force storm and broke anchor. She drifted toward land, and just missed the jetty at North pier before hitting the shore slightly to the north at Cocker Square. The ship was then bought by a local syndicate who made souvenirs from the wood. Most of the ship though was broken up in a storm in November 1897.
Commandant Bultinck - 1929
Formerly a Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
trawler, Commandant Bultinck was wrecked on Rossall Beach on 3 December 1929. Three people were killed.
MV Thorium - 1964
The Thorium was an ICIImperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
coaster that ran aground on Knot Spit in 1964. She was refloated six days later.
Holland XXIV - 1981
The Holland XXIV was a dredger that ended up beached at Cleveleys in 1981.MS Riverdance - 2008
MS Riverdance
The Riverdance was a RORO ferry formerly in service with Seatruck Ferries on the Irish Sea. Riverdance was hit by a wave on the 31 January 2008 which caused her cargo to shift and she was eventually beached at Blackpool, very close to the border with Cleveleys. Attempts to refloat her failed, and...
a RORO
RORO
Roll-on/roll-off ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers or railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels...
ferry in service on the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
, was travelling from Warrenpoint
Warrenpoint
Warrenpoint is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northern shore of Carlingford Lough and is separated from the Republic of Ireland by a narrow strait. The town sprang up within the townland of Ringmackilroy...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
when it ran into trouble at about 19:30. A total of twenty three people were airlifted from the ferry, which ran aground on the beach at Anchorsholme, Cleveleys, opposite Anchorsholme Lane at about 22:50. The ship was beached very close to the remains of the Abana. On 1 February a 400 metre exclusion zone was placed around the stricken ferry and it was revealed that the ferry could be stranded on the beach for some time before salvage teams could remove her. The ship suffered further structural damage during storms on 12 March, and it was announced on 10 April that all attempts to refloat her had been abandoned and that she was to be scrapped on site.