The wreck identified as the BIJOU lies in 39m of water with its keel orientated 280 (bow)/ 100 (stern) degrees. It has a surveyed length of 49m, a width of 10m, and a maximum height from the seabed of 9m.

This wreck was originally located and examined by the UKHO in 1977, and most recently examined in 2021. It was located 3 days after its original sinking, and the identification has been confirmed by diver reports. It was subject to a detailed survey by Bangor University in August 2018. Associated research was undertaken by Dr Innes McCartney (2022) for the Echoes from the Deep project, which corroborated the existing identification of the wreck as the BIJOU.

Event and Historical Information:
The BIJOU (ex. HANGARD, ex. KAISERBERG) was a steel-hulled, West German (at the time) registered motor vessel built in 1963 by Jansen Martin of Leer (Official No. 6403876, Yard No. 61). The vessel was 212 grt; 47.9m long, 8.8m breadth, and 3m depth. It was powered by a diesal engine with a single shaft and screw. At the time of loss the ship was owned by Egon Holst or Hamburg.

On 5 June 1977 the BIJOU was was carrying steel rods and bars from Weston Point, Manchester, to Bilbao when it foundered in stormy weather after some of the hull plates opened up. The crew were rescued by the Moelfre RNLI lifeboat.

Sources include:

Larn and Larn Shipreck Database

Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, Supplement to Quarterly Returns 1977, p.76

McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep

MV Bijou, Wreck Site EU

UKHO ID 7355: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, December 2024.

This record was enhanced in 2020 with funding from Lloyd's Register Foundation as part of the project ‘Making the Link: Lloyd's Register and the National Monuments Record of Wales’. Visit Lloyd’s Register Foundation Heritage and Education Centre for more resources.

Site Record

Bijou (UKHO 7360)