Diamond 1825
Marker: recorded wreck position (Age of Sail).
Key facts
| Name | Diamond | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1825 | English Wikipedia lead text (year following a loss verb, parsed) |
| Era | Age of Sail | derived from year |
| Ship type | ship, shipwreck | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Sea / ocean | Irish Sea | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Wales | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 33 km from land |
| Position | 52.5200, -4.5410 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
The Diamond was a three-masted square rigger, built in New York City in 1823. She was one of the first ships to operate a regular service for passenger and cargo between Britain and the United States. She sank en route to Liverpool from New York on 2 January 1825 in Cardigan Bay. The alleged wreck site was identified in 2000 and was designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 on 1 April 2002, the first such designation by the National Assembly for Wales. However, the identification has since been called into question.
Diving & visiting
The Diamond sailed on her last voyage from New York on 12 December 1824, captained by Henry Macy. She was bound for Liverpool with about 30 passengers and a cargo of cotton, potash, and apples. She also carried international mail. On 2 January 1825 she struck a notorious reef, Sarn Badrig (St Patrick's Causeway) in Cardigan Bay, and sank in 14 metres (46 ft) of water. Her masts and spars were therefore out of the water and in plain sight. Lifeboats that rowed from Barmouth saved most of the passengers.
In 2000, two local divers and amateur archaeological historians, Tony Iles and his daughter Helen, located a wreck through magnetometer survey. On diving the site, they found wooden frames reinforced with iron. They conducted a preliminary survey that showed the wreck to be in excess of 150 feet long, and reported the find to Cadw. They recovered Muntz Metal (also known as "Yellow Metal") pins and sheathing from the wreck. The Archaeological Diving Unit, under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, then investigated the wreck using side-scan sonar and ROV.
Location
- Recorded position: 52.5200, -4.5410 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Irish Sea
- Nearest coast: Wales
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Diamond (1823 ship) (revision 1272246612), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Wreck”, “Alleged discovery and protection”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- HMS Whirlwind 28 km
- HMS Whirlwind 28 km
- U-1302 1945 · 61 km
- HMS H5 1918 · 64 km
- HMS H47 68 km
- HMS Enterprise 74 km
Browse more: UK & Ireland wrecks · wrecks off Wales · Irish Sea · Age of Sail