Shipwreck in Solent is Flower of Ugie boat

BBC News - 

A mysterious shipwreck that lay in the Solent for 160 years has been identified by archaeologists as the 19th Century sailing barque the Flower of Ugie.

The wreck lies on a sand bed in the eastern Solent off the Hampshire coast and was first discovered by fishermen in 2003.

It is only recently that archaeologists have been able to name the vessel. Hampshire and Wight for Maritime Archaeology (HWTMA) identified the ship's remains as that of the Flower of Ugie which sank in 1852 following a great storm in the English Channel.

The ship's identity has been revealed to coincide with the release of a new book by HWTMA about the history of the wreck.

Dr Julian Whitewright, a maritime archaeologist at the group, said: "On the night of the 26th December 1852, while carrying coal from Sunderland to Cartagena in Spain, the Flower of Ugie ran into a storm off Portland.

"The ferocious weather that battered the whole of the south coast that night nearly capsized the ship and the crew were forced to cut down two masts to right it.

"In the early hours of the following day the Flower of Ugie sought shelter in the Solent, but it grounded on Horse Tail Sand and the crew were forced to abandon ship before the vessel broke apart later that day."

The vessel was not seen again until 2003 when a local fisherman snagged his nets on the wreck.

It lay in two parts, 12 metres below the surface of the water.

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