The wreck is reported to be that of an iron sailing vessel and to be well broken up. A brass chronometer made by J Sewell Ltd of Liverpool has been recovered.

Event and Historical Information:
The VENUS was an iron sailing barque, built as the WARWICKSHIRE by T Vernon & Son, Liverpool, in 1862. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 679 gt, 647nt; 179ft 9in length x 29ft breadth x 18ft 5in depth; 2 decks, 2 bulkheads; official number 45407. At time of loss on 8 October 1896, the vessel was owned by Rodriguez & Roza and registered at Lisbon. It was carrying a cargo of coal from Cardiff to Lisbon under the command of F A Pinto, when it ran onto the southern point of Skomer Island and was lost with 15 crewmembers and a passenger.

Sources include:

Board of trade Wreck Return 1896, Appendix C, Table 1, p.125 (563)
The Cardiff Times, 17 October 1896, p.6
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 October - 31 December 1896, p.14 (h)
Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping, 1 July 1894 - 30 June 1895, number 158 in V
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, October 2009.

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.