The wreck identified as the ORIA lies in 19m of water with its keel orientated 190 (bow)/ 010 (stern) degrees. It has a surveyed length of 55m.
This wreck was originally located and examined by the UKHO in 1977, when it was noted that much of the superstructure had been removed. It was re-examined in 1981 and at that time observed that it was almost 3/4 sunk into the seabed. The wreck was re-examined by the UKHO in 2013 and noted as being upright, partially buried and with a strong magnetic anomaly. The boiler on its end, and the stern were reported as forming the highest point above the seabed. Wooden cotton reel and fragments of plates and serving dishes have been recovered and reported to the Receiver of Wreck.
It was subject to a detailed survey by Bangor University in August 2014. 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 ORIA.
Event and Historical Information:
The ORIA was an iron-hulled steamship of 629tons which was built by Richardson, Duke & Co, Stockton in 1862. The ship had a length of 179ft, was owned at time of loss by Lime-de-Vapores Serra and registered at Bilbao.
The North Wales Gazette 14 January 1905 reports the loss incident. At 9.30pm on 7 January 1905, the ORIA was in collision with the STELLA MARIS which sustained significant damage amidships and sank almost immediately. The ORIA was also badly damaged at the bow with incoming water overcoming the pumps, but as it was still afloat the crew of the STELLA MARIS transferred to the ORIA. As a consequence of the ORIA being in a sinking condition, nine of the ORIA's crew and three of the STELLA MARIS's crew left the ship in an open boat. The boat was washed towards the Skerries and the occupants able to land. The steam lifeboat DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND persevered through mountainous seas and a southwesterly gale to take them off and bring them to the mainland. The remainder of the crews from both ships stayed onboard the ORIA to try to bring it into Holyhead. The ORIA stayed afloat for another 3.5 hours, but finally foundered a third of a mile northwest of the breakwater lighthouse. Five of the crew of the STELLA MARIS, plus eight from the ORIA's took to one of the boats. The boat was without oars and in danger of being sucked under by the sinking ship. However, it was taken in tow by a cobbler's boat manned by Thomas Jones and other local people which brought it to safety. The light keeper of Holyhead's breakwater light reported that the ORIA was upright on the seabed with 10ft of the mast was visible above the water at three-quarters flood tide. The crews of both ships were taken care of by the Stanley Sailors Home, Holyhead.
Sources include:
Board of Trade Wreck Return 1905, Appendix C, Table 1, p.142 (632)
The Chester Courant, 11 January 1905, p.8
Evans, D E, 2007, Troubled Waters, pp.107-113
Yr Herald Cymraeg, 10 January 1905, p.8
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 January - 31 March 1905, p.7 (d)
McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep
UKHO ID 7261: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.
Weekly Mail, 14 January 1905, p.1
The Welsh Coast Pioneer, 13 January 1905, p.15
Wynne-Jones, I, 2001, Shipwrecks of North Wales, 4th edition, p.82
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, November 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.