Deep sea diving for shipwrecks on the ocean bed is a childhood fantasy for many. For two University of Ulster scientists it became an exciting reality, writes Dick Ahlstrom.
The coastal waters bristle with all sorts of shipwrecks, from sailing ships to steamers, U-boats to Armada galleons. Now researchers from the University of Ulster, Coleraine, have catalogued these wrecks, detailing 13,000 of them in a new book.
Boats and Shipwrecks of Ireland is the work of Colin Breen and Wes Forsythe of the university's centre for maritime archaeology. It is a comprehensive study of shipwrecks off Ireland's coastline, yet despite the extensive listing of 13,000 wrecks, there are thousands more waiting to be found.
"We probably have 40,000 of these sites around our coasts," Breen says. "During the 19th century there were probably about 150 shipwrecks a year, which is a phenomenal amount."
All wrecks are of interest to Breen and Forsythe. "We ask ourselves, what is a wreck? The earliest boats we have are probably dug-out canoes. There are very different kinds of shipwrecks around the coast," says Breen.
All are of value to marine archaeologists, he says, mentioning a 5,000-year-old Bronze Age wreck off the coast of Cornwall as an example. The vessel is completely gone now, but it was carrying a cross-channel cargo of bronze axes, which provide an "artefact scatter" and evidence of the vessel's loss.
Wrecks can tell us much about marine technology at the time a vessel was lost, along with information about social structures, medicine, diet and much more, he says. A ship's captain and officers would have had the trappings of their class - books, crystal and good tableware - which would have contrasted with the possessions of an ordinary seaman.
With a typical medieval wreck, the ship would have gone down carrying a three-month supply of munitions, food and just about anything else needed for a voyage. "It carried absolutely everything on board it needed to maintain itself," Breen explains.
"Everything is condensed onto a single ship. It is like a floating town. You get this unique insight into the medieval period. It is like discovering Pompeii. The potential for maritime archaeology is unique for getting a momentary glimpse into the past."
The book carries details of the recorded wrecks, most of which date from the 1700s to the present. The oldest known European wreck dates back 11,000 years and the oldest here is about 6,500 years old. The book brings us right up to modern times with the listing of the Lusitania, among others.
"The Lusitania wreck itself would not be of structural importance but it is of historical importance," says Breen. The more than 50 German U-boats sunk off Malin Head as part of Operation Deadlight in 1945 to 1946 are also featured in the book. "If we had just one on shore it would be a huge tourist attraction."
When asked about shipwrecks off Ireland most people immediately think about the ships of the Spanish Armada, 26 of which foundered off our northern and western coasts. Only seven of these have been found, says Breen and only three have been investigated. "They are extremely hard to find even with the use of modern technology," he says.
Breen dives on shipwrecks and describes the thrill of finding an underwater wreck. "It is that mix of childhood excitement mixed with academic discipline. You can get an incredible buzz from it." It is also highly dangerous, so the buzz is short-lived given the hazards of deep water diving.
Easy access to sites also means that they need protection from unauthorised disturbance by treasure hunters. UN agreements mean that countries must catalogue and protect maritime archaeological sites, he says. "Governments were essentially compelled to study in a systematic way the shipwrecks in their waters. There is an international drive to protect these sites," says Breen.
* Boats & Shipwrecks of Ireland is published by Tempus Publishing, priced £17.99. It is available in bookshops or from the publishers at 0044-1608652936