The River Medway and accessible shipwrecks

[MagicalArmchair]

Morning all,

We are off for an anchor probably this weekend in Sharfleet, and my boy is deperate to wander through the bones of wrecks. Normally the wreck he will find will be desperately inaccessible and require wading neck deep in mud, which gets him in tremendous trouble with the 1st mate. I do realise this is the East Coast, so most things do involve wading neck deep in mud of course.

Any wrecks that can be recommended around that area (apart from this skipper?)?

 

[lydiamight]

How about a submarine wreck?
Welcome to The Royal British Legion Village Branch - The Royal British Legion Village Branch -

 

[DanTribe]

I've just found out that Deadman's Island is off limits, apparently bones sometimes come uncoverd. You may still be able to approach by dinghy.
A few wrecks in the Shade and ghouls may appreciate the history of Chetney Hill, once London's isolation hospital for ships.

 

[DanTribe]

I've just found out that Deadman's Island is off limits, apparently bones sometimes come uncoverd. You may still be able to approach by dinghy.
A few wrecks in the Shade and ghouls may appreciate the history of Chetney Hill, once London's isolation hospital for ships.

I've just found an old thread on the Thames Forum, apparently much antagonism from landowners and wildfowlers around the Shade, Chetwin Hill and Burntwick Island so perhaps best avoided unless you want aggro

 

[Malish]

He might be better off looking towards the Hoo sailing barge graveyard (at Hoo, not surprisingly), as labelled on Google maps. Probably easiest visited from the land as opposed to water and definitely muddy

 

[oldgit]

The sub wrecks in the area around around Bee Ness are easily reached with a dinghy or rib. preferably on rising tide.
Google Earth is your friend .
Easier to find is the caisson abandoned in Otterham Creek, think it once was used in one of the dry docks in Chatham.

Report - - Medway estuary WW1 submarine wreck | Other Sites

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Thanks! The submarine will be a nice peice of histroy - do we know at what state of the tide its uncovered? Looking at the charts it appears to be around 4.5 meters above datum, so Neaps this weekend so it'll always be out of the water I think, even at HW. We will certainly chug the dinghy over and take a look.

Where is the caisson abandoned in Otterham Creek? We have tried to get to Lower Halstow before, but only at half tide so got wedged halfway up the creek!

 

[oldgit]

That caisoon , last time I looked was near Yanlett Creek on Bishops Ooze but checking with an VMH online chart it does not appeared to be marked.
Not that exciting actually , but useful navigation aide-mémoire when going into Stangate via Yantlett and Sharfleet.
A visible guide to just how much water you have under the keel in that neck of the woods.

We like at least 3ft under the props. Keep about a boat length to the South of beacon.
Rule No 2 on the Mudway. Never on a falling tide. ?
There might still be some places OG has not run aground. Ahem, sometimes twice ......but not that many.

 

[Pye_End]

That caisoon , last time I looked was near Yanlett Creek on Bishops Ooze but checking with an VMH online chart it does not appeared to be marked.
Not that exciting actually , but useful navigation aide-mémoire when going into Stangate via Yantlett and Sharfleet.
A visible guide to just how much water you have under the keel in that neck of the woods.

We like at least 3ft under the props. Keep about a boat length to the South of beacon.
Rule No 2 on the Mudway. Never on a falling tide. ?
There might still be some places OG has not run aground. Ahem, sometimes twice ......but not that many.

Think it is the wreck market at 51deg 23.66N 0deg 38.025E on the VMH chart.

 

[Keith 66]

I've just found an old thread on the Thames Forum, apparently much antagonism from landowners and wildfowlers around the Shade, Chetwin Hill and Burntwick Island so perhaps best avoided unless you want aggro

Landowners / farmers on East side of Stangate, Chetney Hill & Barksore marshes do not like yachtsmen & you will likely get chased off. I have visited Burntwick many times & never been chased off yet!
As far as Deadmans Island is concerned It is reputed to be "off limits but i have never seen any factual evidence written anywhere. Access to Deadmans island if probably best from Sheperds creek in the entrance to the Swale.
by Dinghy. I would visit that way. Quite a few barge wrecks there as well.
As for the legalities professional Mudlarks using hovercraft seem to roam & search the marshes across the medway for artifacts on an industrial scale with total impunity. So if they can do it so can the rest of us!

 

[oldgit]

Deadman's Island: Six things you wanted to know

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Thank you all, we didn’t make the submarine, but we did make a wreck of a small sailing yacht that my boy had in his sights for a long time at the entrance to Stangate. He was totally committed to coming back and refloating her, restoring her and making her his own… I fear she may be a bit far gone!

 

[oldgit]

from recent memory there were at least two or three yachts neaped and abandoned in Stangate last year ?

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Thanks, if you know of any more further up Stangate, let me know where they are and the boy will likely go and try and refloat them all to rescue them!

A shipwright or a destitute in the making (or perhaps both...!)

 

[Keith 66]

Round the corner in Sharfleet there are a couple of wrecks on the south side near the old sea wall, Another interesting one on the south side of bishops marsh at opposite end to Darnett fort, dont know what it was but quite a large fine lined wooden ship.