Site Record

The wreck lies 30m east of Lechganol Rock. The character and extent of archaeological remains is presently unknown. Divers have recovered many artefacts over the years, including the brass boss to the ship's wheel.

Event and Historical Information:
The GLENISLA was built by the Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Newcastle Upon Tyne, in 1883 (yard number 50). Technical and configuration specifications are given as 1283gt, 998nt; 265ft length x 36ft 2in breadth x 17ft depth; 1 deck, 6 bulkheads, rear quarter deck 76ft, passenger deck 28ft, boat deck 50ft, forecastle 29ft; screw propulsion powered by two boilers linked to an inverted compound engine producing 160 hp; machinery made by T. Clark & Co, Newcastle; official number 87260. The vessel was owned at time of loss by the Glenlivert and Glenisla Steamship Co Ltd, Leith, (other sources note the owner as Lindsay, Gracie and Co), and was registered at Leith. The vessel was on passage from Glasgow to Savona with a cargo of 1,885 tons of coal under the command of master Allan Wallace. The master incorrectly identified the South Bishop light as being one off the coast of Ireland, probably the Arklow South Bank, which was in fact a lightship. This gave him cause to believe that he was too close to that coast, and altered course to the south and east to take him into what he imagined was the centre of St. George's Channel. At 4 a.m., the ship struck the underwater reef at full speed half a mile offshore. All the crew and the Captain's wife took to the ship's boats, and at daybreak were able to row ashore to a beach close to Abereiddy. The wreck soon broke its back, and became a total loss.

Sources include:
Board of Trade Wreck Return 1886 Appendix C Table 1 pg 134 (612)
Goddard, T, 1983, Pembrokeshire Shipwrecks, pg 48
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyds Register of British and Foreign Shipping 1 July 1885 - 30 June 1886, number 448 in G
Receiver of Wreck Droits Database 2007 RCIM6/2/5; letter and printout June 2001 RCIM6/2/5/5
UK Hydrographic Office Wrecks and Obstructions Database. ? Crown Copyright and database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk)

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, March 2008.