Divers from Fishguard Subaqua Club have found the remains of an ancient wreck, possibly Napoleonic - causing speculation that the wreck may be have been part of the 1797 French invasion of Fishguard, Wales.

A little-known chapter of British history has been re-opened after the divers recovered artefacts from a wreck site they had discovered in 30m off Strumble head, Pembrokeshire. The site and finds have been reported to the Receiver of Wrecks, Sophia Exelby. She has made the Fishguard Subaqua Club licensed custodians of the site.

Copper drift pins, large pieces of iron, a swivel gun and three cannons appear to date back to the Napoleonic era, raising speculation that the wreck could be related to the abortive French invasion of 1797, when four warships and an invasion force of 1,400 landed at the beach at Llanwnda, South Wales. The four ships involved in the invasion were two frigates, Vengeance and Resistance, each mounting 40 guns, plus the 24-gun corvette Constance and the 14-gun lugger Vautour; none were reported sunk during the invasion.

While the historical events surrounding the invasion are well documented, Richard Hughes, who found the wreck, believes that there could be a link. Little is known of the fate of the french vessels after the invasion force surrendered to the Pembrokeshire Yeomanry.

The wreck was found by Richard and Rebecca Hughes towards the end of a drift dive when Richard spotted large piles of ballast stones, plus shapes and debris suggesting the remains of a wreck. In the short time they had remaining, the pair recovered a number of 17 1/2 inch-long keel pins with oak timber attached, providing vital evidence that fuelled the club's determination to investigate further.

The dive site is in an exposed, tidal position, where two opposing currents meet and visibility is often bad - making diving difficult. The club have persevered, continuing to carefully examine the site over the past dive season, on those occasions when conditions were favourable enough to visit. Their efforts have now been rewarded by as the potential historical importance of the site has aroused great interest, with Cadw - the Welsh historic monuments agency - and the Nautical Archaeological Society both becoming involved.

There are hopes that the site can be surveyed in details and the three cannon raised to help provide clues to the identification of the wreck.

Related links
Account of the French invasion of Fishguard 1797

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