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Unknown: 'mingary Castle Wreck'

Craft

Site Name Unknown: 'mingary Castle Wreck'

Classification Craft

Canmore ID 167515

Site Number NM56SW 8001

NGR NM 50671 62943

NGR Description Centred NM 5059 6293

Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/167515

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Highland
  • Parish Maritime - Highland
  • Former Region Highland
  • Former District Maritime
  • Former County Not Applicable

Activities

Diver Inspection (1999 - June 2000)

This wreck was discovered by Mr P Richards in 1999, when objects were declared to the Receiver of Wreck. Artifacts identified by sport divers comprise four iron guns, a copper kettle, pieces of lead (including a possible vent apron) and a Bellarmine jug; the possible apron appears to bear a date of 1638 which would be consistent with that indicated by the jug. No structural remains have apparently been identified.

The site lies in relatively shallow water near a rock outcrop and between two extensive area of flat sand. It may form a significant addition to the group of wrecks of the 16th and 17th centuries AD known from the Sound of Mull.

Information from Mr M L Dean (Archaeological Diving Unit, Maritime and Coastguard Agency), visited June 2000.

Note (19 August 2000)

The site was designated on the 19th August 2000 under the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973).

Information from RCAHMS (HDS) 8 January 2013

MS 2783

Diver Inspection (16 August 2006 - 25 August 2006)

The wreck was visited by Wessex Archaeology between the 16th and 25th August 2006 under a contract for archaeological services issued by Historic Scotland in relation to the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973). Diving proved possible at any state of the tide within benign weather conditions; bottom time totalled 1292 minutes. Metal detector and probe surveys were carried out, and sidescan sonar imagery was studied.

The following positions were noted:

Statutory Instrument Position (SI 2000/287): N56 41.4930 W6 4.4192 [NM 5059 6293] (OSGB-36)

Obtained by tracked diver survey, 2006: N56 41.402 W6 4.408 [NM 5059 6276] (WGS-84)

679213 6286868 (WGS-84, UTM zone 29)

Averaged position for the muzzle of gun 2004, 160m S of the position taken as the centrepoint of the designated circle 679224 6286709 (WGS-84, UTM zone 29)

As currently exposed, the remains comprise five guns, several iron concretion-deposits, four fragments of lead sheet, a brick, and a small piece of timber spread across an area measuring about 20m from N-S by 15m transversely. A sixth gun has been reported to the NE, but was not seen. Although both bar shot and cannonballs were noted in 2002, these were not seen in 2006. Four of the guns were noted as visibly rusting, while the disparity in their sizes may suggest that they were being carried as cargo.

The remains lie on a gentle slope beneath the Rubh' a' Mhile reef, and within a boulder field of mixed rock types. The surrounding seabed comprises a light yellow-brown coarse sand (4001) made up almost entirely of small shells and shell fragments, and containing pockets of sand up to 0.2m deep. Beneath this is a similar but darker, finer and more compact sediment (4002); this latter may be the resistant layer encountered in probe survey. The pattern of sediment movement around the wreck was not investigated, but very little movement was apparent during the benign weather conditions experienced.

The area is covered by a heavy growth of kelp dominated by cuvie (Laminaria hyperborea); both sugar kelp (Luminaria saccharina) and Furbellows (Saccorhiza polyschides) were noted.

(The context numbers assigned are tabulated, and detailed recommendations are made. The suggested histories of the ship and the study of the remains are summarised. Illustrations include location plan, site plans, photo-mosaic, and imagery recording seabed conditions).

MS/2783.

Diver Inspection (24 April 2007 - 4 May 2007)

(Location cited as N56 41.4930 W6 4.4192 [NM 5059 6293]). This wreck was visited by Wessex Archaeology in 2007 to establish the extent of the remains and to continue the recording carried out in 2006. Eighteen dives (totalling 1223 minutes dive time) were carried out between 24 April and 4 May, to complete survey of the site. Features were located using a Long Baseline acoustic tracking system, and all the features recognised were found to lie within the Designated area.

In addition, metal detector searches were carried out over a further area of over 1000 sq m beyond that examined in 2006. This was hindered by dense kelp growth in the boulder topography N and W of the Designated site; no finds were made. Underwater visual searches were also conducted without result in corridors leading outwards from the site to a distance of at least 26m in all directions. A further visual search was carried out to the NE of the site in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the (6th) cannon reported by Mr S Barlow. The shore adjacent to the wreck was walked at Low Water without result.

Three further pieces of artefactual wood (artefact nos. 2043, 2044 and 2045) were discovered

MS/5016.

Note (19 March 2007)

The location cited by Wessex Archaeology is at variance with that previously cited. The later location is preferred.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM) 19 March 2007

Reference (19 April 2012)

UKHO Identifier : 058780

Feature Class : Wreck

State : LIVE

Status : Historic

Classification : Unclassified

Position (Lat/long) : 56.69147,-6.07355

Horizontal Datum : ETRS 1989

WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 56.69147,-6.07355

WGS84 Origin : Block Shift

Previous Position : 56.69167,-6.07250

Position Quality : Precisely known

Depth Quality : Depth unknown

Water Depth : 2

Vertical Datum : Mean Low Water Springs

Name : UNKNOWN

Type : MINGARY CASTLE WK

Contact Description : None reported

Original Sensor : None reported

Original Detection Year : 2000

Original Source : Other

Surveying Details : **HH272/550/05 21.9.00 AREA WITHIN 250MTRS RADIUS OF 5641.500N, 0604.350W [OGB] DESIGNATED A RESTRICTED AREA. (SCOTTISH STATUTORY INSTRUMENT 287/00 DTD 17.8.00). INS AS REST'D AREA, WK NOT CHARTED. - NM 4046/00.

**4.8.08 [EUT] POSN: 5641.488N, 0604.413W. NE 2394.

**13.2.12 NOT WITHIN NAVIGABLE AREA. (NETSURVEY, HI 1364). NCA.

Chart Symbol : WK HIS

Charting Comments : REST'D AREA RADIUS 250MTRS, WK NOT CHARTED

Date Last Amended : 04/08/2008

Date Position Last Amended : 04/08/2008

Management (1 November 2013)

The following Historic Marine Protected Area (HMPA) designations will come into force on 1 November 2013. On the same day Section 1 of the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973) will be repealed and the statutory instrument for each designation under the 1973 Act will be revoked – see

Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 (Commencement No.3 and Consequential Provisions Order 2013

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2013/276/contents/made

(1) The Duart Point Wreck (NM73NW 8005) is to be designated as the Duart Point HMPA

(2) The Dartmouth (NM74SW 8002) is to be designated as the Dartmouth HMPA

(3) The Mingary Castle Wreck (NM56SW 8001) is to be designated as the Mingary HMPA

(4) HMS Campania (NT28SW 8001) is to be designated as the Campania HMPA

(5) The Kinlochbervie Wreck (NC15SE 8001) is to be designated as the Kinlochbervie HMPA

(6) The Wrangels Palais (HU77SW 8001) and Kennemerland (HU67SE 8001) will be designated as the Out Skerries HMPA (ie two polygons making up one designation).

Also on 1 November 2013, the urgent designation of the Drumbeg wreck (NC13SW 8007) on 18 March 2013 for a period of two years under the provisions of Section 77 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 is to be revoked and replaced by a permanent HMPA designation order.

As it will not progress to Historic MPA status, statutory protection for the site of the Blessing of Burntisland (NT28SW 8008) is to be revoked altogether on 1 November 2013 by virtue of

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 (Commencement No. 3 and Consequential Provisions) Order 2013

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2013/276/contents/made

Entered by RCAHMS (GF Geddes) 29 October 2013

Information from Historic Scotland (P Robertson) 15 October 2013

Project (2013 - 2015)

Project SAMPHIRE was designed to bring professional marine archaeological expertise into local maritime communities. The central focus of the project was to record the unique knowledge of maritime cultural heritage sites on the seabed (and intertidal zone) that is held within local communities. This was done through a programme of face-to-face community engagement, allowing knowledge exchange in both directions. The reported sites were then investigated by the SAMPHIRE Project team with the maximum involvement of local community members at every level, including fieldwork and desk-based research. The project aimed to foster a wider understanding of and interest in local maritime heritage and to promote the stewardship of this valuable local resource.

Diver Inspection (4 July 2015)

The SAMPHIRE team chose this location as a suitable spot for a shakedown dive on the 4th of July. A visual search around the main group of cannons identified a previously unrecorded cannonball fused to the bedrock which does not seem to have been noticed during previous surveys. Recent monitoring surveys of the site have not noted this additional artefactual material (Pascoe 2015).

Coordinates: 150671,762943

Accuracy: 2m

SAMPHIRE ID: 138

Note

NLO: Mingary [name: NM 501 632]

Sound of Mull [name centred NM 58 46].

Location formerly cited as NM 5066 6294 [N56 41.5 W6 4.35].

For Mingary Castle (NM 50274 63101), see NM56SW 1.00.

For cannon (not necessarily from this wreck) mounted adjacent to Mingary castle, see NM56SW 1.01.

[Undated] Information from RCAHMS

Reference

Location cited as N56 41.5 W6 4.35.

NMRS, MS/829/24

References

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