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 MAR DEL PLATA was a steel steamship built in 1919 by Soc. Anon, Astilleros, Bilbao. Technical and configurations specifications are given as 1191gt 785nt; 231ft 6in long x 31ft breadth x 13ft 5in depth; 1 x deck, weatherdeck, 4 x bh, quarterdeck 68ft, boatdeck 66ft, forecastle 28ft; screw propulsion powered by a single boiler linked to a compund engine producing 115hp. The vessel was owned at time of loss by Gorbea & Monje, Bilboa, and under the command of master P Barranano. The steamship left Glasgow with a cargo of coal for Bilbao on 30 January 1923. One of the ship's lifeboats was later picked up in Ramsey Sound. It was presumed that the ship sank off St David's Head (approximately 51 43N 05 35W). Three hatches measuring 7ft x 2ft 6in, a derrick measuring 18ft x 9in, and a lifebuoy marked MAR DEL PLATA were washed up between the 6-8 February on Newgate beach and at Nolton Haven. A large area search undertaken by HMW WOODLARK in the 1970s failed to locate the wreck.
Sources include:
Goddard, T, 1983, Pembrokeshire Shipwrecks, p.82
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 January - 31 March 1923, p.6 (c)
Records of the Receiver of Wreck, Milford, March 1920 - March 1925, Pembrokeshire Record Office T/SHIP/3/3/1
SS Mar Del Plata, Wreck Site EU
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.
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.