The maritime history of Amlwch in the 19th century is punctuated by a relentless series of shipwrecks, driven by the treacherous geography of the Anglesey coast and the intensive shipping demands of the copper and coal trades. Between 1860 and the turn of the century, the waters surrounding the port—specifically near Point Lynas, Middle Mouse, and Dulas Island—became a graveyard for vessels ranging from small wooden sloops to massive iron steamers.
The primary causes of these disasters were severe gales and the failure of critical equipment. Vessels like the Regalia (1860) were lost when engines failed at the harbour entrance, while others, such as the Mayflower (1865), foundered after losing sails and rudders in strong breezes. Dulas Island was a particularly notorious hazard; the Pride of the West (1863), the Douglas Pennant (1868), and the Surprise (1880) all fell victim to its rocks, often due to thick fog or the inability to locate the Point Lynas light.
Equally dangerous were sunken rocks like Carreg Y Llong, where the sloop Ellen foundered in 1864 because the harbour was too full of ships to enter. Industrial accidents also occurred within the port itself; in 1882, the steamer Noah suffered a catastrophic boiler explosion while towing another vessel, resulting in the deaths of two crew members.
The wrecks underscore the town’s industrial nature. Vessels were frequently laden with copper ore (the Ellen), iron ore (the Welsh Girl), and coal (the John), alongside essential materials like pipe clay and timber. The high volume of traffic often led to collisions; there are several instances where Amlwch vessels were run down by unknown steamers that failed to provide assistance, such as the Providence (1868) and the Friends (1898).
The Bull Bay and Moelfre lifeboats were frequently deployed, saving passengers from large ships like the SS Dakota, which struck rocks in 1877 with 218 people on board. Within the harbour, “Hobblers” (local boatmen) provided manual assistance to leaking ships like the Elizabeth Davies and the Brunswick.
A unique feature of Amlwch’s maritime defense was the use of “Baulks”—heavy timber beams placed across the harbour entrance during gales. Failure to deploy these could lead to disaster, as seen when the Jane Elizabeth (1867) drifted out of the harbour unmanned during a gale. Conversely, if the baulks were down, ships like the Pacific (1886) were forced to ground themselves outside the piers. The power of nature was most evident in 1889, when a gale caused the Emperor to float inside a dry dock, burst open the lock gates, and be reduced to “fire wood” against the pier.
The Black rock was one of a number of second hand Scottish built steamers acquired by the Thomas family. She had been raised after being sunk by a steamer Balniel close to Liverpool bar. She was brought to Amlwch, stripped down and modified. While in the dry dock a violent storm caused her to crash through the lock gates. She demolished the lighthouse pier and totally blocked the harbour entrance. Following a refit she was renamed the Eleth after the patron saint of Amlwch.
The SS Dakota was built by Palmer’s shipbuilding company at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1874. She was 4332 gross tons with an iron hull fitted with a 2-cylinder compound engine and aft screw.
The SS Dakota which belonged to the Liverpool and Great Western Steam Ship Company Liverpool was wrecked on the East Mouse, near Amlwch on 9th May 1877. This 4,332 ton Liverpool passenger liner was sailing for New York in calm weather some two miles off shore, when the 4th officer ordered a change of direction to take here further out to sea. For some reason she turned in the opposite direction and hit rock just in shore of the east mouse. All of her 109 passengers and much of the cargo were saved by Bull bay lifeboat Elenor. The ship sank and is still used by divers who bring up pottery some of which is displayed in the sail loft.
The
Manifest of the S.S.Dakota when she sank:-
226cs-brandy
100cs-wine
1cs-machinery
448lb-chicory
10cs-sardines
1cs-oil-paintings
2pkgs-books
4cs-oilman’s-stores
1cs-perfumery
10cks-ox-acid
3cs-musical-instruments
1bx-medicine
12.5t-tin ingots
3652bxs-tin-plates
1 bx-sadlery
175crts-earthenware
24cs-spa-ware
7cs-hats
Manifest list produced by Terry Stoker
Data base of Amlwch ship wrecks.