Archaeological remains associated with the loss of this vessel are not confirmed as present at this location, but may possibly be in the vicinity.

Event and Historical Information:
The TENBY CASTLE was an iron-hulled barque built by R & J Evans, Liverpool, in 1868. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 607gt, 588nt; 174ft length x 28ft 6in breadth x 18ft depth; 1 deck, 1 bulkhead, rear quarter deck 27ft. At time of loss, the vessel was owned by D Richards, Mills and Co, Liverpool. The barque was on passage from St Nazaire to Barrow-in-Furness under the command of Captain Davies, when it encountered fog and a southwesterly gale force 5. The barque was trying to find the South Stack lighthouse to establish its position when it ran onto rocks off Penrhos Point. On stranding, the ship capsized and sank in less than 10 minutes. The boats were washed boats off their skids and the crew took to the mizzen rigging. At 6.30pm, two mounted messengers reported that they heard cries from a vessel on the rocks off Penrhos Point and the Holyhead lifeboat was called out. Just before the lifeboat arrived on the scene, a small boat manned by John O Williams, Chief Coastguard at Holyhead and four others -William Owens, George Jones, John Roberts and John Moore - put off from a cove to south of South Stack. The coastguard men had climbed down a 150ft cliff at Penrhosfeilw to reach the boat. Just as the small boat arrived near the wreck, the mizzen mast fell. The coastguard men called out for the crew to jump into the water as it was impossible to get close to the vessel. Three men jumped and were picked up by the boat and landed safely. The boat was hauled up, but on hearing more cries from the barque's crew launched again. However, the coastguard men found that the sea was getting worse. There was a great deal of wreckage floating around. The boat broke one oar and had to return to the shore. The lifeboat succeeded in picking up one man out of the water. He asked for whisky but died soon after the lifeboat arrived in Holyhead with Dr E J Hughes in attendance.

Sources include:
Board of Trade Wreck Return 1889 Appendix C Table 1 pg124 (363)
Holyhead Mail, 19 December 1889
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyds Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1888 - 30 June 1889, number 131 in T
Logbook of the Holyhead Lifeboat, Gwynedd Archive Service Caernarfon XM/1593/2
Wynne-Jones, I, Shipwrecks of North Wales, 4ed, pg65

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, June 2008.