View source for Blackpool shipwrecks

{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Too many sections|date=March 2025}}
'''Blackpool''' and the [[The Fylde|Fylde coast]] have become a [[ship graveyard]] for a number of vessels over the years. Most of the [[shipwreck]]s occurred at or near [[Blackpool]], whilst a few happened a little further afield but have strong connections with the Blackpool area. For this article, Blackpool means the stretch of coast from [[Fleetwood]] to [[Lytham St Annes]].

==''Travers'' – 1755==
''Travers'' was wrecked in 1755 with a cargo of lace.<ref name=Yar>{{cite web | url = http://www.btinternet.com/~stephen.yarwood/Blackpool_history.htm| publisher = Stephen Yarwood| title = Growth of the County Borough of Blackpool in the County of Lancashire 1500–1938| access-date = 25 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929121306/http://www.btinternet.com/~stephen.yarwood/Blackpool_history.htm|archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref>

==The "Pea Soup" wreck – 1779==
In the autumn of 1779 a ship laden with peas was wrecked at Blackpool.<ref name=Yar/>

==''Happy'' – 1797==
In December 1797, ''Happy'' foundered off Lytham St. Annes. She was on a voyage from [[Porto]], Portugal to [[Liverpool]], Lancashire.<ref name=Times201297>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Ship News |date=20 December 1797 |page=3 |issue=4071 |column=D }}</ref>

==''Fanny'' – 1821==
''Fanny'' was wrecked off the coast of Blackpool in 1821, laden with red and black flannel.<ref name=Yar/>

==Wreck at the Gynn – 1833==
A ship was wrecked at the Gynn in 1833.<ref name=Yar/>

== ''Crusader'' – 1839==
''Crusader'' was wrecked at South Shore in 1839, laden with silk. Some looters from [[Marton, Blackpool|Marton]] were jailed after being caught stealing the cargo.<ref name=Yar/>

== ''Aristocrat'' – 1840==
The [[brig]] ''Aristocrat'' was wrecked opposite the Imperial Hydro in 1840. Two of the passengers drowned.<ref name=Yar/>

== ''William Henry'' – 1861==
The [[schooner]] ''William Henry'' was wrecked at South Shore, laden with flour and lard.<ref name=Yar/>

== ''St Michael'' – 1864==
''St Michael'' was wrecked at Blackpool on 18 September 1864. The new lifeboat rescued the crew of fourteen.<ref name=Yar/>

== ''Favourite'' – 1865==
The brig ''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.<ref name=Fav>{{cite web| url = http://www.mightyseas.co.uk/marhist/whitehaven/built_elsewhere/favourite.htm| publisher = Through Mighty Seas| title = Favourite| access-date = 20 April 2008| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080518152509/http://www.mightyseas.co.uk/marhist/whitehaven/built_elsewhere/favourite.htm| archive-date = 18 May 2008| df = dmy-all}}</ref>

== ''Lexington'' – 1865==
The [[barque]] ''Lexington'' was wrecked, and the crew of fourteen were saved by the lifeboat.<ref name=Yar/>

== ''Bessie Jones'' – 1880==
The [[Fleetwood]] schooner ''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.<ref name="Shipwreck">{{cite news
  | title = Shipwreck Gallery
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 25 February 2008
  | url = http://www2.blackpooltoday.co.uk/shipwreck/
  | access-date = 25 February 2008
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080301143149/http://www2.blackpooltoday.co.uk/shipwreck/
  | archive-date = 1 March 2008
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref> She was refloated in July 1880.<ref name=PC030780>{{Cite news |title=The Wreck of the Bessie Jones |newspaper=Preston Chronicle |location=Preston |date=3 July 1880 |issue=3513 }}</ref>

== ''Arethusa'' – 1882==
''Arethusa'' was wrecked off Blackpool in 1882, ten people were saved.<ref name=History>{{cite web | url = http://rmhh.co.uk/blackpool.html| publisher = Hall Genealogy| title = A Chronology of the growth of the County Borough of Blackpool in the County of Lancashire, from 1500 to 1938| access-date = 31 January 2008}}</ref>

== ''Sirene'' – 1892==
The Norwegian ship {{ship||Sirene|barque|2}} 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 (rescue)|lifeboat]] house.<ref name=Shipwreck/><ref name="Gazette3744532">{{cite news
  | last = Fleming
  | first = Craig
  | title = A graveyard for ships
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 5 February 2008
  | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/daily-feature/A-graveyard-for-ships.3744532.jp
  | access-date = 6 February 2008 }}</ref>
The anchor from the ship was donated to the Borough of Middleton and can be seen resting against the library wall in Long Street. Mr Hulbert, a local iron and [[coal merchant]], had the contract to dismantle the wreck.

== SS ''Huntcliff'' – 1894==
The tramp steamer SS ''Huntcliff'' had been anchored off [[Llandudno]] 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.<ref name=Shipwreck/>

== ''Abana'' – 1894==
{{main|Abana (barque)}}
[[File:Abana.jpg|thumb|''Abana'']]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]]. ''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 [[Bispham, Blackpool|Little Bispham]] where it was wrecked. The ship's bell still hangs in St Andrews Church in Cleveleys.<ref name="Gazette3742141">{{cite news
  | last = Fleming
  | first = Craig
  | title = The Fylde coast – A graveyard for ships
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 5 February 2008
  | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/The-Fylde-coast--A.3742141.jp
  | access-date = 6 February 2008 }}</ref> The remains of the Abana are still visible at low tide on the beach at [[Bispham, Blackpool|Little Bispham]].<ref name="FPCH001">
{{cite web
 |title=Fylde Post Card History: THE ABANA WRECKED 22nd DECEMBER 1894 OFF NORBRECK 
 |publisher=rossallbeach.co.uk 
 |url=http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/wreckedtheabanap.htm 
 |access-date=6 February 2008 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818140804/http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/wreckedtheabanap.htm 
 |archive-date=18 August 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref> On the same day as ''Abana'' hit the pier, a fishing boat from Fleetwood, ''Petrel'', was also driven ashore by the same storm close to Uncle Tom's Cabin at North Shore.<ref name=Shipwreck/><ref name="Gazette3742141"/>

== HMS ''Foudroyant'' – 1897==
{{main|HMS Foudroyant (1798)}}
[[File:HMS Foudroyant wreck.jpg|thumb|HMS ''Foudroyant'']] {{HMS|Foudroyant|1798|6}}, which had been used by [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|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. ''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.<ref name=Shipwreck/><ref name="Gazette3744532"/>

== ''Commandant Bultinck'' – 1929==
Formerly a Fleetwood trawler, ''Commandant Bultinck'' was wrecked on Rossall Beach on 3 December 1929. Three people were killed.<ref name=Shipwreck/><ref name=Ross>{{cite web|title=Wrecked Rossall Beach |publisher=Fylde Postcard History |url=http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/wreckedrossallbeachp.htm |access-date=6 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818140845/http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/wreckedrossallbeachp.htm |archive-date=18 August 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref>

==MV ''Thorium'' – 1964==
''Thorium'' was an [[Imperial Chemical Industries|ICI]] [[Coastal trading vessel|coaster]] that ran aground on Knot Spit in 1964. She was refloated six days later.<ref name=Ross3>{{cite web|title=Cleveleys Beach |publisher=Fylde Postcard History |url=http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/icicoastersp.htm |access-date=6 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516043923/http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/icicoastersp.htm |archive-date=16 May 2008 }}</ref>

== ''Holland XXIV'' – 1981==
''Holland XXIV'' was a [[dredger]] that ended up beached at Cleveleys in 1981.<ref name=Shipwreck/><ref name=Ross2>{{cite web
 |title=ICI Coasters 
 |publisher=Fylde Postcard History 
 |url=http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/pcleveleysbeachp.htm 
 |access-date=6 February 2008 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818140551/http://www.rossallbeach.co.uk/pcleveleysbeachp.htm 
 |archive-date=18 August 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref>

==MS ''Riverdance'' – 2008==
{{main|MS Riverdance}}
[[File:Riverdance aground.jpg|thumb|MS ''Riverdance'']]On 31 January 2008, {{MS|Riverdance||2}} a [[roll-on/roll-off]] 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, Blackpool, opposite Anchorsholme Lane West at about 22:50. The ship was beached very close to the remains of ''Abana''.<ref name=Shipwreck/><ref name="Gazette3734939">
{{cite news
  | title = Riverdance ferry drama: Timeline 
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 1 February 2008
  | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Riverdance-ferry-drama-Timeline.3734939.jp
  | access-date = 2 February 2008}}</ref><ref name="BBC7221386">
{{cite news
  | title = Ferry runs aground at Blackpool
  | publisher = [[BBC News]]
  | date = 1 February 2008
  | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7221386.stm
  | access-date = 2 February 2008}}</ref><ref name=Gazette373540>
{{cite news
  | last = Marsden
  | first = Paul
  |author2=Joe Robinson
  | title = Dramatic airlift from stricken ferry
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 31 January 2008
  | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Dramatic-airlift-from-stricken-ferry.3734540.jp
  | access-date = 2 February 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Gazette3737467>
{{cite news
  | last = Robinson
  | first = Joe
  | title = Stricken ferry could be stranded "for weeks"
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 1 February 2008
  | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Stricken-ferry-could-be-stranded.3737467.jp
  | access-date = 2 February 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Gazette3970830>
{{cite web
 | title = Final death knell for Riverdance ferry
 | publisher =[[Blackpool Gazette]]
 | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Final-death-knell-for-Riverdance.3970830.jp
 | access-date = 15 April 2008}}</ref>

== ''Coco Leoni'' – 2008==

On 27 March 2008 the motor cruiser ''Coco Leoni'' ran aground opposite Lytham windmill.<ref name=Gazette3924270>
{{cite news
  | last = Bennett
  | first = Julia
  | title = Riverdance ferry has a rival!
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 28 March 2008
  | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Riverdance-ferry-has-a-rival.3924270.jp
  | access-date = 28 March 2008}}</ref> The boat was refloated a week later.<ref name=Gazette3957190>
{{cite news
  | last = Parkinson
  | first = Shelagh
  | title = Sailors refuse to leave stranded yacht
  | publisher = [[Blackpool Gazette]]
  | date = 8 April 2008
  | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Riverdance-ferry-has-a-rival.3924270.jp
  | access-date = 8 April 2008}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Southport shipwrecks]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Blackpool culture}}

{{1894 shipwrecks}}

[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1894]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Irish Sea]]
[[Category:History of Blackpool]]
[[Category:Ship graveyards]]