Maritime record MWX1987 - Portland Harbour: Wreck of a Bucket Dredger

Remains of a Bucket Dredger, south of Portland Harbour. Surveying History:
19-MAR-1982 Reported to lie 60 feet off outer face of Portland harbour inner breakwater, opposite painted numbers 9 andamp; 10, in depth of 9-12 metres. Badly broken up. About 40 feet long, 15 feet wide.

23-MAR-1985 Examined in 50 34.02.4N 002 25.26.7W. Wreck is broken into two parts which lie at the base of the breakwater slope. Least echo sounder depth 1.6 metres recorded on part actually on the slope. Not fully investigated. <1>

The building date for this vessel is an estimate based on an average age at wrecking of twenty years. This average is derived from those vessels wrecked on the Dorset coast whose age at wrecking is known.

Position 50 34.03N 2 25.45W taken from <3>


50 34.03N 002 25.45W. This wreck lies on the outside slope of the inner breakwater of Portland Harbour, in Balaclava Bay. The small wreck is well broken, lying in 10m, almost at the foot of the breakwater. <3>

The flanking breakwaters are said to have been constructed in 1906, thus providing a terminus post quem for the date of loss, since the wreck is said to lie on part of the breakwater.

The dredger lies in Balaclava Bay, broken in two. <5>

Dredger in 12m, lying "right in front of the large winch and many anchors that can be spotted from sea". Described as a sand dredger, largely broken up, lying against rocks, and a habitat of fish, squid, hermit and spider crabs. <6>

List of species seen on the wreck of the dredger, described as a small steel wreck in 10m. <7>

<1> United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, 1992, Hydrographic Office wreck index (Index). SWX4837.

<2> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 263 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<3> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1999, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (3rd Edition), 137 (p109) (Monograph). SWX1.

<4> Cumming, E, The Dorset shipwreck and maritime incident directory, 18 (Monograph). SDO16406.

<5> World Wide Web page: http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/places, Accessed 06-FEB-2007 (Digital archive). SWX7080.

<6> http://www.uk-blue.com/recdives.htm, Accessed 06-FEB-2007 (Digital archive). SDO20243.

<7> http://www.marlin.ac.uk/rml/sightings_who.php?nme=Lin%20Baldock&nmeid=1078 >, Accessed 06-FEB-2007 (Digital archive). SDO20244.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 832504 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 31 2023 10:47AM