The wreck lies in 77m of water and is orientated 240 (bow)/060 (stern) degrees. It has a length of 88 and a width of 12.6m.

The wreck has not been identified by the UKHO. Research by Dr Innes McCartney (2023: 160) for the Echoes from the Deep project, following a detailed survey by Bangor University in March 2019, identified the wreck as being dimensionally, positionally, and archivally consistent with the loss of the ST PATRICK, and its record has been updated to reflect that new research.

Event and Historical Information:
The ST PATRICK was a steel-hulled ferry built by A Stephens & Sons in 1930. It was owned by the Fishguard and Rosslare Harbours and Railways Company and was working the Rosslare to Fishguard ferry route. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 1922gt, length 85.34m and width 12.50m, screw propulsion powered by an oil-fired engine. On 16 June 1941, a bomb struck the ship between the funnel and the bridge, penetrating the oil tanks and setting them on fire. The ferry sank very quickly leaving only a trail of oil bubbles and two boxes of fish to be found by the Fishguard lifeboat. The St David's lifeboat and a naval patrol vessel were also involved in the search for survivors. The majority of the passengers and crew were rescued and landed at Milford Haven. The captain, Jim Faraday, and his 20-year old son Jack (a merchant navy cadet), 17 members of the crew, a gunner and 12 passengers were killed. A stewardess, Elizabeth May Owen, was awarded the George medal for saving female passengers trapped on the lower deck. The loss location was given as 52 04N, 05 25W in July 1941. Escort Group 5 confirmed a sonar contact at 52 04 06N, 05 25 30W in March 1945. HMS BEAGLE confirmed the presence of the wreck in May 1980.

Sources include:

Goddard, T, 1963, Pembrokeshire Shipwrecks, pg 119-20

Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002

McCartney, I., 2022. Echoes from the Deep. Leiden: Sidestone Press. https://www.sidestone.com/books/echoes-from-the-deep

Western Telegraph 21 November 1990, Then and Now 504: George Medal

UKHO ID 9983: Contains public sector information, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, from UK Hydrographic Office.

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, April 2023

Site Record

Saint Patrick (UKHO 9883)