The wreck is reported to be in three large sections, with some sections leaning against the East Mouse rock. Notable features still visible include the boilers which form the highest part of the wreck above the seabed, the prop shaft, ribs/frames, and winches. The wreck lies in 15-22m of water. Plates, cups, saucers, patterned shaving dishes, crockery, together with bottles of cognac and rolls of cloth have been recovered. Much of the pottery was made by Meakins, Staffordshire. Items from the DAKOTA form part of the collections of the Holyhead Maritime Museum

Event and Historical Information:
The DAKOTA was a Palmer's Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow, in 1874. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 4332gt; 2482nt; 400ft 6in long x 43ft 4in breadth x 32ft 7in depth; screw propulsion powered by a single boiler linked to a compound engine producing 900hp. The DAKOTA and her sister ship MONTANA had been ordered from Palmers Shipbuilding for the newly formed Liverpool and Great Western Steam Navigation Company. The company shared its partners with the company of Williams and Guion of New York which ran the Black Star Line's fleet of transatlantic passenger vessels (the ARIZONA and ALASKA). The two new ships were to be worked from the British side of the Atlantic and hence were registered at Liverpool. The DAKOTA was launched on the 12 June 1874, but was not completed until 21 July. The design of the two vessels proved problematic. They were never as fast as the company had hoped for, to enable them to win the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing. The DAKOTA last voyage began when it set out from Liverpool for New York on 9 May 1877 with a Mersey pilot onboard. The ship had 218 passengers, 109 crewmembers and 1,800tons of general cargo. The ship was proceeding at 14knots along coast of Anglesey when the second or fourth officer (sources differ) ordered a change of course to starboard (command usually Port the Helm) to take the vessel further our to sea. However, the ship turned to port (command usually Starboard the Helm). The officer ordered port the helm again, but by this time the captain had arrived from the forecastle. The officer was ordered to go aft to see what had happened (possibly a broken steering chain). Soon after the ship struck on the rocks of Trwyn Costog, 700 yards west of Amlwch. The Rocket Apparatus Company attended, also the Bull Bay Lifeboat, which together with several shore boats managed to land all the passengers by 3am. By 11am, much of the general cargo and the mail had been recovered. The ship fell over on its side and slid underwater. In the enquiry that followed, the master, second officer and the fourth officer were held to have been responsible for 'starboarding the helm' (turning to port) by mistake.

Sources include:
Bennett, T, 1987, Shipwrecks around Wales, Vol 1, pg29-30
Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald, 26 May 1877
Evans, D E, 2007, Troubled Waters, pg67-74
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Liverpool Mercury, 11 May 1877, issue 9148
Liverpool Mercury, 12 May 1877, issue 9149
North Wales Chronicle, 12 may 1877, issue 2615
Receiver of Wreck Droits Database 2007 RCIM6/2/5
UK Hydrographic Office Wrecks and Obstructions Database. ? Crown Copyright and database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk)
Wynne-Jones, I, 2001, Shipwrecks of North Wales, 4ed, pg77

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, October 2008.