Shipwrecks

I could write for hours about all of the vessels that have had the misfortune of sinking off of the Weymouth & Portland coast.  Some authorities report the number of lost ships off of the Dorset coastline to be in excess of 1,000 vessels.  

For a comprehensive list, and further information, visit www.weymouth-dorset.co.uk/shipwrecks.html which has an abundance of facts and history.  There are however a couple of special wrecks worthy of a mention.  Probably the most famous of the sunken treasures is HMS Hood.  The Hood was purposefully sunk by the Admiralty on 4 November 1914 in order to serve as a block ship in the south channel of Portland harbour.  The purpose of this was to help protect the Portland Naval base and other naval vessels from possible attack from German U-boats.  Further information on the wreck can be found by visiting the following sites: http://www.hmshood.com/history/ancestors.htm, The Heritage Coast or Nautical Archaeology Society, the latter containing thermal images of a handful of the Portland Harbour wrecks.  The site Portland Bill website is also very informative.

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