Shipwreck from 19th century off Goodwin Sands, near Sandwich and Deal, gets government protection
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A mystery 19th century shipwreck has been granted government protection.
The unidentified sail-powered vessel, a coal transporter, lies off the Goodwin Sands near Deal and Sandwich.
The wreck GAD23 off the Goodwin Sands. Multibeam image. Copyright MSDS Marine
It has now come under the wing of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport following the advice of Historic England.
It is covered by scheduling ,which means recreational divers can visit it but its contents are protected by law and must be left in place.
The wreck, listed as GAD23, is a rare example of a once common wooden cargo vessel in the 19th century.
Hamilton said that compared with some shipwrecks the vessels were quite mundane. “But that is part of their interest. Almost like a vernacular maritime architecture, these would have been really common in the late 19th century. And there are very, very, few of them surviving today.
“They’re both part of one of the largest industries in the UK – maritime transportation – and there’s really not very much surviving of that fleet. So these are rare examples of what was once a very common sight.”
Apart from losing their masts, both ships were in an excellent state of preservation, he said. Each had retained its bowsprit, the long wooden spar at the front of the vessel to which foremast ropes would have been tied.