Three shipwrecks off the Dorset coast

However, it is not the only shipwreck off Dorset.

Here we look at other wrecks that have been found in our waters.

Mortar Wreck

The 13th century Mortar Wreck discovered in Poole Bay, on the edge of the Swash Channel, with its cargo of gothic Purbeck stone gravestones is the oldest known protected wreck in English waters where hull remains can be seen.

It was discovered by local charter boat skipper Trevor Small of Rocket Charters who reported the discovery to archaeologists from Bournemouth University.

Trevor said: “I was born into a seafaring family. I've skippered thousands of sea miles looking for shipwrecks from my home port of Poole.

“In summer 2020, I discovered what I believed to be an undetected wreck site. Recent storms had revealed something unknown on the seabed. I was granted permission to dive the wreck. The rest is history! I've found one of the oldest shipwrecks in England.”

Read more: "Extremely rare" 13th century medieval shipwreck uncovered off Dorset coast

Tree ring dating of the wreck indicates that the timbers used to construct the hull are from Irish oak trees, felled between 1242-1265, during the reign of King Henry III.

One theory is the ship may have been lost on its way out from the Dorset coast. Its destination is unknown.

Studland Bay Wreck

Studland Bay Wreck is the remains of an armed cargo vessel, thought to have been Spanish. It was discovered in January 1983 by divers from Hamworthy Sub-Aqua Club investigating a fisherman's net fastening.

The wreck dates back to around 1520 based on the style of ship construction and pottery found associated with it. It is believed the vessel may have been trading in waters during the first quarter of the sixteenth century before relations between Spain and England deteriorated.

Ballast stones were recovered and approximately half of these have been identified as coming from the Basque region in Spain.

According to the Historic England website, although dated to the early sixteenth century, the wreck was originally believed to be the Spanish carrack San Salvador, the flagship of the Paymaster General of the Spanish Armada, which was sunk in November 1588.

The wreck site was first listed as protected on October 22, 1984.

Swash Channel Wreck

Located on the approach to Poole Harbour, the Swash Channel Wreck is the remains of a seventeenth-century Dutch or German armed cargo vessel, which appears to have foundered in the Swash Channel after 1630. The wooden sailing vessel was laden with pottery, possibly from the Rhine.

The site was discovered in 2004 as a result of geophysical investigations by Wessex Archaeology (WA) on behalf of the Poole Harbour Commissioners and the former Poole Borough Council in advance of dredging to deepen the approach to Poole Harbour.

Read more: Identity of 17th century ship wrecked off the Poole coast

Experts believe it to be a Dutch merchant vessel named The Fame which foundered in a storm in March 1631.

According to Historic England: "Structural remains on the seabed suggest that a sizeable proportion of a large or very large vessel, survives coherently in substantial sections and that the quality of survival of some of the structural timber is very high."

It was designated as a protected wreck site in 2004.