The whereabouts of the" Glencoe" has been confirmed by finding the ship's bell last year. She was a 3000 ton steamer, built in 1878, which sank in1889 after collision with the Largo Bay, 1255 tons, which sank some time later. The Glencoe's length was 118m, beam 12m, constructed of iron and in ballast.

The Largo Bay was 68m long, beam 11m, an iron sailing barque carrying general cargo, bound London to Aukland.

Despite the Glencoe's age, the wreck is very substantial, standing 10m in 58m. Possibly the Largo Bay lies next to her, but more likely she is one of the unidentified wrecks nearby.

This season's diving should reveal some more clues to the mystery.

Further research (contrary to Richard Larn's Shipwreck Index) showed the Largo Bay's bulkheads held. She was taken in tow for the fee of £1000 by the Urpeth, to Cowes, where she safely anchored.

Vital Clue to Identity of another deep wreck off Brighton.

A ship's clock was recovered, bearing the inscription " Clan Line"and date 1917.  But what was her name?

She was definitely not the Clan Macmillan, torpedoed in 1917 close to Newhaven, seen to sink and still showed her mast and rigging above water.

Sept 2003. Ian Hanness positively identified the wreck as the ClanMacmillan, Glasgow,  by lettering on her stern and houseflag on china. At 4525 tons and 120m long, she rests in 62m, standing 10m proud, about 13nm from her assumed position.

Is this the Glenarmhead or not?

The size and age of the wreck and a large cargo of WW1 ammunition ties in with this wreck being the Glenarmhead, torpedoed in 1918.She was built in 1897 and belonged to the Head Line. The recent recovery of a plate and mug bearing the houseflag of the Ulster Steamship Co corroborates idenity.This company was registered in 1877, taking over the Head Line and Lord Line, eventually becoming the Head-Donaldson Line.

The only other recorded wreck in the Sussex area belonging to this line was the Teelin Head, which purportedly sank near the Owers and carried a cargo of potatoes.

   HMS Loyalty

It was ......... on a fine August day, that the first and only Algerine sweeper to be lost in home waters went down off Normandy.
Loyalty and her flotilla had completed a minesweeping run off the French coast and were returning to base, sweeping in line-ahead, when Loyalty's sweep-wire parted and she broke formation to retrieve the float. It proved a long job, and she afterwards put on steam to catch up with the rest of the flotilla. But a torpedo from the lurking U.480 found the straggler.

Seaman C. W. Brown:
'Just after the watch had changed at 4 p.m. we felt a tremendous explosion. I was in Tanky's store below the seamen's lower messdeck, drawing the rations for supper. Scrambling up the ladder into our messdeck I was caught in pandemonium, but went on to reach the upper messdeck where I soon realized we were in trouble. Steam escaping from the engine-room added to the confusion and Loyalty had already started to list to starboard. Drawers were sliding out of the lockers, crockery was falling and smashing all around, and the crew were trying to reach the upper deck. I searched for a lifebelt but soon gave this up as it was clear time was short. With difficulty owing to the heavy list I managed to reach the upper deck and for the first time saw the devastation. The stern of the ship had gone completely and the quarterdeck, carrying the Double L winch, had curled back on to the boat-deck. Attempts were being made to lower the starboard boat, but with the ship listing so rapidly this had to be abandoned. Someone thrust a lifejacket at me and I quickly slipped it on. By now the list was so bad I was able to walk down the port side of the ship into the water. I swam out to a cork-bodied scrambling net which had come adrift and, together with about eight of my shipmates, clung on for support. Looking at the wreckage I could see the ship had completely turned turtle but was still afloat. Things had happened so quickly, it was only ten minutes since the explosion and we did not know what had hit us, there was no sign of the U-boat. Then Loyalty's after end started to sink and gradually she slid under, her bows being the last to disappear. She had been a happy ship and there was a spontaneous saluting cheer from the survivors as she went down. After clinging on to the net in the water for what seemed an eternity, but was really only a couple of hours, two tank-landing ships appeared and called to us by loud-hailer to swim towards them, which we did and were helped on board.'
Twenty of Loyalty's company, including her commander, were lost. The date was 22 August 1944.

We dived a wreck perported to be the Loyalty, but instead found a small coaster with a cargo of cement spilled out onto the seabed. Not that big a ship and not that old. Apart from masses of fish, crabs and lobbies only a Walker's Log came up.
Depth: 50m on LW.

We plan to check out a couple of nearby wrecks when we can get out there again.

Dived a nearby wreck which is very probably the Loyalty. She had been blown to bits. Depth charges and live shells lay about, dated 1942. A dinner plate with RN anchor motiff was recovered.

It is possible that she was flattened by British warships after she was sunk by U480 so as not to confuse further submarine detection.

Dutch training schooner "Eendracht" ashore at Newhaven, winter 1998: subsequently towed off.

Safe at La Gomora, Canaries, February 1999.

The 1927 ton Glendinning launched in 1921, as the Sheaf Garth and torpedoed 5 July 1944 has been positively identified by her bell.

The crippled ship broke in two, the stern remaining afloat some time after the bow, which sank nearly a mile away in 60mt off Brighton. Until now, this was charted as the French trawler Patrice Didier, sunk in Aug 1970 after developing a leak.