SS Cambro

Also known as: Cambro

Twenty miles out from the Pembrokeshire coast, the Smalls lighthouse marks one of the most treacherous reefs in the Irish Sea — and the Cambro is its best-known casualty. This steel steamer, loaded with Spanish pyrites, was swallowed by fog in May 1913 and drove straight onto the rocks barely 150 metres from the lighthouse. The wreck itself is largely broken apart, though the stern section and boilers retain enough shape to anchor a dive. But the Cambro's real claim to fame came decades after her loss: in 1991 a sports diver found a Viking sword hilt guard decorated with silver wire and niello among the wreckage, a stunning artefact from centuries before the steamer existed, presumably washed onto the reef from an older, unknown wreck. Getting to the Smalls requires a dedicated long-range boat trip and a cooperative weather window, so each visit carries the earned satisfaction of a genuine offshore expedition.