131-Yr Old Huge Victorian Shipwreck Resurfaces Near Luxurious Coastal Hotel

131 year old huge victorian shipwreck resurfaces near carbis bay st ives

A Victorian shipwreck has been discovered on a Cornish beach 131 years after it sunk. This winter, the wreck at Carbis Bay, close to St Ives, has mostly been concealed by the sand.

However, on February 26, violent waves wore down Cornwall’s north shore, removing the sand off the beach and revealing the shipwreck’s ruins.

On November 18, 1893, a strong storm wrecked the iron steamships Bessie, Cintra, and Vulture at the shore.

The storm battered the ship Cintra when it was moored. It was heading to Dartmouth from Newport. Five crew members were rescued by a buoy, but seven died in the ocean. One crew member reportedly spent more than an hour clinging to the rigging.

The hulls of the ships are all that remain. The Cintra’s anchor, which was retrieved from the ocean floor in 1959, is currently on display at Smeaton’s Pier in St. Ives.

The Bessie and Vulture crews were both able to escape with their lives.

In Carbis Bay, the angular remains of the steam collier Bessie are a well-known sight. These ruins are frequently exposed during large low tides following winter storms. But up until now, for this winter, the wreckage has remained almost entirely concealed beneath the sand.

After the storm earlier in the week, the skeletal remnants of Bessie and Vulture were visible at low tide. However, when these pictures were taken on Thursday, a sizable chunk of the debris was still below the low water line.

With the larger spring low tides, the wrecks should be visible if they remain sand-free for one another week. Following winter storms, the shipwrecks of the Bessie, Vulture, and Cintra were all discovered in January 2023.

Before being taken out of service during World War II and used as scrap, the Vulture’s boilers served as a playground for kids.

Many more ships went lost that same night; some have since been found in various parts of Cornwall. The Hampshire and Rosedale washed ashore on Porthminster beach, having lost every member of its crew in the ocean.