Cargo vessel · lost 1886 · Anglesey, United Kingdom
SS Missouri
Also known as Missouri.
Of all the ships lost close to the shore along Anglesey's west coast, none was bigger than the Missouri. A Warren Line steamer rigged as a barque, she was driven onto the beach at Porth Dafarch by a blizzard in March 1886, laden with a cargo as varied as a Victorian general store's stock: live cattle, thousands of bales of cotton, sacks of flour, hides and palm oil.
She lies in two main sections spread across the bay, the forward part in the middle and the stern pressed hard against the cliffs on the western side, none of it deeper than 14 metres. Around them is the debris field of a ship of more than 5,000 tons.
- Type
- Cargo vesselAmerican
- Lost
- March 1st, 1886Grounding
- Tonnage
- 5,146 GRTsteam
- Length
- 130 m
- Depth
- 6–16 m
- Location
- Anglesey, United KingdomIrish Sea
3 of 6 facts above are cited in Sources below.
Deeper than 40 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
- Depth: 16 m shown; range in sources 14–16 m. Other published figures exist (why sources disagree).
History and LossLost March 1st, 1886 · Grounding · Anglesey, United Kingdom.
Ran ashore at Porth Dafarch, near Holyhead, Anglesey, in a heavy snowstorm while carrying a mixed cargo including cattle, cotton, and flour for the Warren Line.
Lost March 1st, 1886, grounding.
The Voyage
- Cargo
- Cattle, hides, palm-oil, 3,000 bales of cotton, 4,000 sacks of flour
Condition of the WreckBroken, in 6–16 m.
Intactness
She lies in two parts: the forward section sits in the middle of Porth Dafarch bay, while the stern rests against the rocky cliffs on its western side. No bigger ship has been lost so close to land anywhere along Anglesey's west coast.
Notable Features
- Largest inshore wreck on west Anglesey
- Bow and stern in separate locations
- Mixed exotic cargo including live cattle
Additional Details11 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Nationality
- American
- Flag
- United States
- Propulsion
- Steam
- Loss date
- March 1st, 1886
- Latitude
- 53.28° N
- Longitude
- 4.66° W
- Water body
- Irish Sea
- War grave
- No
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
- Condition
- Broken
Sources and VerificationEvery cited fact on this page traces to a published source.
- UK Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record6 facts
- BBCbbc.co.uk · Press6 facts
- flintsac.co.ukflintsac.co.uk · Secondary source6 facts
- uonsubaqua.comuonsubaqua.com · Secondary source4 facts
- maritime.org (archived)maritime.org · Secondary source3 facts
- usni.org (archived)usni.org · Secondary source3 facts
- raspberrywatersports.co.ukraspberrywatersports.co.uk · Secondary source2 facts
- Liverpool Universityliverpool.ac.uk · Secondary source1 fact
- Wannadivewannadive.net · Secondary source1 fact
- Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · Background reading3 facts
Background reading is listed for context and is not counted as a citation for the facts above.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.
A further 3 fields were derived from the wreck’s recorded position rather than taken from a source.
Licences and credits for the open data used on this site are on the Attribution page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SS Missouri?
SS Missouri is the wreck of a cargo vessel, off Anglesey, United Kingdom, at 16 metres. SS Missouri ran aground and was wrecked in 1886.
How deep is the SS Missouri?
SS Missouri lies at 6 to 16 metres, Porth Dafarch bay, near Holyhead, west coast of Anglesey.
How did the SS Missouri sink?
SS Missouri ran aground and was wrecked on March 1st, 1886, off Anglesey, United Kingdom.