Shipwrecks of North Wales 4

The Royal Yacht Mary is unusual in that few shipwrecks survive from before the 18th century. The marine environment is often hostile to conservation; protection of a ship structure that protrudes above the level of the seabed is impossible in the long term. In cases in which the seabed is more sympathetic to the survival of artefacts, there are usually expenses in ease of discovery, survey, or excavation (Rees, 2005). In Wales, the Welsh Heritage Agency (CADW) is responsible for looking after historic sites. These include marine archaeological environments.

The Resurgam

One of the few wrecks to have been surveyed around North Wales is the Resurgam. Reverend George W Garret designed the Resurgam. He was aged 27 years, and was an eccentric curate from Manchester. The Resurgam was the first full size mechanically powered submarine. It was built of iron, and had a girth of timber; it had a cylindrical shape with cone ends. A full size replica of the Resurgam can be seen at Woodside ferry terminal, Birkenhead. Figure 5 illustrates the Resurgam.

Initial trials in Liverpool dock were successful, so the Royal Navy asked to test the submarine at the Royal Naval base at Gosport. Despite being advised to transport the sub by rail, Rev. Garrett decided to take her there by sea. Suffering temperatures of 43oC inside with no room to lie down, Rev Garrett and two friends came ashore at Rhyl to rest. They had spent the first night entirely submerged, and the following three days in cramped, uncomfortable conditions.

After a month of tests and adaptations when the Resurgam was in the River Clyde, an escort boat, the Steam Yacht Elfin was employed to tow the Resurgam to Gosport. On February 24, 1880 the Elfin was caught in a gale and her towlines snapped. The Resurgam was lost to the sea with no one on board her. Resurgam means, “I shall rise again” (Bennett, 1992). In 1989, Bill Garret, the great grandson of Rev. Garrett, hoped to see the Resurgam “rise again” (Dean, 1997). He set out to locate and recover the wreck.

The survey of Resurgam is a good example of a marine archaeological project. Marine archaeology is dedicated understanding our underwater artefacts, and maritime remains on land. In his paper on marine archaeology in the UK, Cecil Jones (1978) wrote “marine archaeology is a multidisciplinary science which seeks to increase our knowledge of man’s seafaring activities through the examination of the material remains of ships and submerged sites” (Jones, 1978). Research can decipher history from the fragments of artefacts that remain. In the dynamic environment of the sea, these archaeological sites are often badly damaged. Maritime archaeologists should try to recover as much information as possible while minimising disruption to the wreck site. Techniques used are similar to those used on land—surveying, recording of remains, excavation..

The operation to survey the Resurgam was organised primarily by Bill Garrett. After discovering the wreck was the Resurgam, Hurley and the trawler’s owners tried to extract a finder’s fee. This prompted a US archaeologist to locate Bill Garrett. Garrett arranged for side scan sonar of the area and to employ the services of US Oceanographer Mr John Perry Fish. The result was not only the specific location of the Resurgam but also a clear image of its position. The Resurgam lay on its starboard side and appeared to have suffered heavy damage from some type of impact. Not long after the remote sensing survey, Bill Garrett dived the Resurgam and was the first man to partially enter the Resurgam since his grandfather had left it over 100 years earlier.