The wreck of the ALTMARK is located towards the northern end of Kenfig Sands, around 1km south of the mouth of the Afon Cynffig. The lies well up the beach, with its bow around 50m from the foot of the pebble bank. The stern post lies to seaward reflecting the manner in which the vessel was driven ashore (below). It is heeled over towards its port side. The wreck alternates between being well-buried and very exposed, depending on the sand-levels prevailing on the beach. When exposed, much of the lower hull is visible, albeit covered in concrete ballast that was commonly poured into the bottoms of wooden vessels of this type and date of construction.

The site was visited by the RCAHMW on the 19th April 2023 in order to confirm its location. At that time the vessel was moderately exposed, with the stern post and supporting timbers visible, along with the adjacent aft inboard end of the prop-shaft. Further forward, twenty-nine frames spaced at c.300mm apart, were visible on the starboard side, as well as the bow structure, which was exposed to a height of about 0.6m above the sand. The vessel was recorded with a photogrammetry survey.

The UKHO has a record of an Obstruction (UKHO 12524) some 75m to the north of the location of the ALTMARK. This was originally recorded in 1981 on the basis of aerial photography with a corresponding NMRW entry (NPRN 240827). It seems likely that this obstruction and its related NMRW entry represent the site of the ALTMARK, which would have been a very visible feature at that time, rather than any other wreck (e.g. SUNDA, NPRN 273817).

Event and Historical Information:
The ALTMARK was built for the Admiralty in 1945 and was sold out of service in 1959. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 67.94tons, 70ft length x 19ft breadth x 9ft depth, originally Admiralty number 1203 MFV. The trawler was owned at Milford Haven by Sinclairs, before passing into the hands of R W Downs. The ALTMARK was on a short trip from Briton Ferry to Barry, with only one man, the skipper, on board on the 12th July 1961. The engine failed and there was no crew to assist. The vessel drifted and was driven onto the sands by southwesterly winds. The Mumbles Lifeboat stood by and the coastguard took the skipper off. The vessel was abandoned on the beach.

Sources Include

Bennett, T, 2017, Wrecks on Welsh Beaches: Shipwrecks for Walkers.

UKHO ID 12524: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.

J. Whitewright RCAHMW, April 2023