The wreck of the HEREFORDSHIRE (UKHO 10050) lies in 14m of water off the northwest end of Cardigan Island. The location of the wreck was attested following the sinking of the ship in 1934 (below). In 1966 it was purchased by the Llanelli BSAC in order to undertake salvage of the scrap metal. In 1968 the Llanelli BSAC reported to the UKHO that the bow was still standing around 20ft above the seabed, and that two boilers and machinery were sill visible. The report went on to note that the outline of the hull was complete up to a height of about 7ft, but that it was expected that the wreck would not remain in such condition for much longer.. The wreck was located and examined in 2020 when it was found to have a surveyed length of 2.4m, a width of 2.1m and a height of 1.2.

Event and Historical Information:
The HEREFORDSHIRE was a steel-hulled cargo vessel built for the Bibby Line by Harland and Wolf, Belfast, in 1905. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 6459gt, 4025nt; 452ft 3in length x 54ft 3in breadth x 30ft 6in depth; 3 decks, 7 bulkheads, 4 masts, passenger deck 51ft, boat deck 223ft, forecastle 33ft; twin screws or propellers powered by four steam boilers linked to two quadruple expansion engines. The ship had spent most of its service life trading between Britain and ports in India, Burma and Sri Lanka.

At time of loss, on 14 March 1934, the vessel had been sold to Smith Shipbreaking Company and was making its last voyage from Dartmouth to the Clyde for breaking. Two Glasgow tugs, the CHIEFTAIN and WRESTLER, were carrying out the tow. The three vessels met hurricane force winds and heavy seas as they passed Strumble Head and at 2.30pm on 14 March 1934 the towing hawser to the WRESTLER parted. Despite efforts to get another cable onboard, the second cable parted 12 hours later and the disabled ship was left to drift on shore on Cardigan Island with its 4-man towing crew onboard. The tugs sent SOS signals and the Gwbert Lifesaving Crew managed to fire a rocket line onboard and bring the four crewmen to safety by Breeches Buoy. In 1966, the wreck was purchased by the Llanelli Sub-Aqua Club and it was reported that salvage work was being undertaken.

Sources include:

Bennett, T, 1987, Shipwrecks around Wales, Vol 1, p.51-2

BSAC Wreck Register, Wreck 20 (197)

Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002

Lloyds Register Documentation (LRF-PUN-W595-0015-L): https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/archive-library/ships/herefordshire-1905/

Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 January - 31 March 1934, p.10 (g)

Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1933 - 30 June 1934, number 27397 in H

SS Herefordshire, Wreck Site EU

Troughton, W, 2006, Ceredigion Shipwrecks, p.29

UKHO ID 10050: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.

West Wales Guardian, 23 March 1934

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, April 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.