Shipwrecks and Maritime History in Plymouth, England
The City of Plymouth has a long maritime history that dates back to the arrival of the first humans in the South-West of England. Since that time the waters of Plymouth Sound and the adjoining rivers have seen hundreds of maritime events, accidents and disasters; some witnessed and recorded but many more happened unseen and undocumented.
Despite the passing of time the seabed and shoreline around Plymouth still contains evidence of these events. So the aim of the SHIPS Project is to record the maritime history of Plymouth by recording the remains of these events.
- The SHIPS Project aims to record, document and publish the remains of shipwrecks, aircraft, hulks, lost anchors and any other objects on the seabed
- The project is being run by a local group of divers, local historians, researchers and shipwreck enthusiasts
- The SHIPS Project is interested in the maritime history of Plymouth from the time people first arrived until the present day
- The SHIPS Project is run for fun and is not for profit.
The main area of interest covers the whole of Plymouth Sound and the tidal reach of the rivers that flow in to it, stretching from Yealm Head to the east to Portwrinkle to the west, from Gunnislake to the north and south out to sea to the Eddystone lighthouse.
We have also included information about a few other interesting shipwrecks and finds that are close to this area.
Help the SHIPS Project
Would you like to contribute to this local history project?
- At the SHIPS Project we are recording anything man-made that has been found underwater or on the foreshore in the Plymouth area
- We would like to know about the location of shipwrecks, lost anchors, cannons and anything else you have found on the seabed
- We would like photographs and video of plymouth's shipwrecks, or pre-1990s photographs of wrecks on the foreshore
- Your stories about maritime events in and around Plymouth can help tell the story of Plymouth and can lead to further discoveries underwater
- You can join in by helping the team find and record more shipwrecks or document the objects found on the seabed.
If you would like to help the SHIPS Project then please contact us.
