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Wreck of Purton Hulks

United Kingdom

Position
About 51.7° N, 2.4° W (within about 10 km)
Sank
—
Cause
—
Depth
—

Protection status

Location generalised as a precaution

The position shown is generalised to within about 10 km. The exact position is not published.

Built in 1909; the year of loss is not recorded, so its age and status cannot be verified.

How this was decided: Voydar's protection rules, from the sources we hold, confidence 50%. When in doubt, Voydar generalises the position.

The Purton Hulks or Purton Ships' Graveyard is a number of abandoned boats and ships, deliberately beached beside the River Severn near Purton in Gloucestershire, England, to reinforce the river banks. Most were beached in the 1950s and are now in a state of considerable decay. The site forms the largest ship graveyard in mainland Britain. A riverbank collapse in 1909 led to concerns that the barrier between the river and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal would be breached. Old vessels were run aground and soon filled with water and silt to create a tidal erosion barrier. The vessels included steel barges, Severn trows and concrete ships. The boats came from throughout the British Isles and were built in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th.

History from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA.

About this wreck

Purton Hulks is a recorded shipwreck site. Voydar shows wreck locations alongside live ship traffic, free, from Wikidata and public hydrographic records.

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