Over the last few thousand years, the Isle of Wight with its 60 miles of coastline, and surrounding waters, have witnessed several thousands of ships wrecked on its shore. Over 4,000 appear on the Admiralty's charts, yet many more, with their wooden hulls vulnerable to the power of seas, storms and time, have not left a trace.
Many ships, too, were stranded on the Island for only a short time, able to escape on the next high tide, or were towed off. The exact number of ships damaged or sunk in these waters will never be known.
The Back Of The Wight
From the Needles, the famous chalk rocks, off the Island's most westerly point, to the Island's most southerly tip, St. Catherine's Point, lies a series of bays 18 miles long without shelter, and towering chalk and Sandstone cliffs where the sea meets the Island. There are only two points offering easy access from the cliffs to the sea; Brook Chine and Grange Chine. Up to a mile and a half outside Compton Bay at low tide extends a six mile long series of rocks and clay; the Brook and Brighstone Ledges. These have claimed a vast number of ships, and lives.
Two miles South-East of Brighstone Ledge lies the Atherfield Ledge, a mile-square ledge which the powerful local current drags ships to. The ledge is made up of rock slabs, ridges, boulders and reefs, causing the sea to turn into a frenzied, chaotic force during high winds.
Below Atherfield lies Chale Bay, sight of vast numbers of shipwrecks, and once home of a vicious gang of smugglers.
The South-East Shores
At the Southern end of Chale Bay lies Rocken End, where the cliffs tower 500 feet above, and the shore line is covered with vast numbers of dangerous boulders. Beyond that lies St Catherine's Race1, one of the worst in the British Isles. It is caused by the Eastward moving sea being forced between the Island's southern coast and a parallel ridge that is only 15 metres below sea-level and three miles offshore. Between the two lies St. Catherine's Deep, which is a narrow channel that the sea has scoured to enormous depth. There are also several chasms 300 feet deep, which cause, in certain conditions, seas to erupt from the depths and charge in random directions. These often swamp ships, which sink without a trace.
The southern coast of the Island has no shelter, its bays hold many sunken boulders that are a danger to ships, and Ventnor is subject to storms which have destroyed all attempts to build harbours here and piers as well. The East coast of Sandown Bay has few hazards, and is sheltered from the prevailing winds. It is, however, sometimes subjected to continental winds, yet most ships blown onto Sandown's sandy beach are able to be salvaged.
North of Sandown Bay and Culver Cliff lies Long Ledge, a broad, rock shelf, and Bembridge Ledge, a submerged ridge that has claimed many ships. It now is guarded by the Bembridge Lifeboat, housed in a pier built so the lifeboat could launch outside the ledge's reach.
The Spithead-Solent Shore
The Eastern side of the north coast of the Island is known as the Spithead, and is the safest part of the Island to sail. It is the traditional anchorage of the Royal Navy, and is sheltered from most winds. Across the Solent lies Portsmouth in the East. Ships sailing to Southampton must also traverse the Solent, making the waters of the Solent among the busiest of the world.
On the West side of the Solent, ships are endangered by the fast tidal current, as the Solent's unique double tide leaves through the narrow, western end, which is only a mile wide near Hurst Spit. The current achieves a speed of up to 5 knots as it flows through a series of races out to the sea, yet even then, the danger remains. Beyond the terrible teeth of the Needles lies the hidden danger of the Shingles, a 3 mile long shoal of pebbles just beneath the waves
that periodically shifts its position and shape. Many ships have been lost here. This end of the Island is protected by the Yarmouth Lifeboat.
Related H2G2 Articles:
Ships And Shipwrecks
Isle Of Wight History
Shipwrecks Of The Isle Of Wight
1 A "Race" is the open sea equivalent of rapids.
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