The wreck identified as the MINERVA lies in 41m of water with its keel orientated 010 (bow)/ 190 (stern) degrees. It has a surveyed length of at least 62m, and a width of 10.5m. The wreck is upright on the seabed, although a section of the stern seems twisted to the east, and is not included in the measured overall length of the wreck. Diver reports in 1995 stated that the centre section was the highest part and comprised the cranks and boilers. A high central area is still visible in survey data from 2019 and was similarly described by a diver report in 2010, which also noted that the paddlewheels were still identifiable, along with the crankshaft, boilers and engine. The wreck has been identified via crockery bearing the name of the Cork Steam Packet Company, and the ship's bell, which was recovered in 1995.
This wreck was originally located and examined by the UKHO in 1982, and most recently in 2014. It was subject to a detailed survey by Bangor University in June 2019. 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 MINERVA.
Event and Historical Information:
The MINERVA was an iron-hulled paddle-steamer built in 1847 by T. Vernon and Sons of Liverpool. The vessel was 677 grt, 227ft (69.1m) overall length, 26ft (7.9m) width, and 16ft (4.9m) depth. It was powered by a 2-cylinder beam engine made by Bury, Curtis and Kennedy. At time of loss, the vessel was owned by the Cork Steam Packet Company, registered in Cork and was being used on the Liverpool, Belfast and Cork service.
The MINERVA sailed from Liverpool, for Cork, on 28 August 1854, under Master Rochfort. The vessel was wrecked on the Coal Rock in thick fog at 7.40 p.m on 30 August 1854. The master having failed to reduce speed to suit the weather conditions. The crew and passengers were all saved in the MINERVA's own boats landing on Anglesey.
Sources include:
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~cmi/books/earlySS/merseySS.html#Min47
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
Receiver of Wreck Droits Database 2007, RCIM6/2/5
Wynne-Jones, I, 2001, Shipwrecks of North Wales, 4ed, pg78
UKHO ID 7407: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, December 2024.