Wreck Wreck

Taymouth Castle

Cushendun

Average score: 0

Site name: Taymouth Castle
Location: Descriptive location referring to nearest landfall i.e. town, village, harbour or island
Cushendun
Type: Describes whether this dive site can be dived from the shore, from a boat, or both
Boat
Wreck: Dive sites which include a shipwreck (or part of a shipwreck) are labelled with a ‘Yes’
Yes
Min. dive depth (m): The approximate minimum depth of the dive given in metres
Max. dive depth (m): The approximate maximum depth of the dive given in metres
15

Max. seabed depth (m): The maximum depth of the seabed at the site taken from the intersect between the dive site point and the depth contour on an Admiralty Standard Nautical Chart
15

Diving experience (min level): The recommended minimum level of diving experience for a specific site, described as Novice (<50 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Open/Advanced Open Water, BSAC Ocean Diver or CMAS 1 star), Intermediate (50-100 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Rescue Dive, BSAC Sports Dive or CMAS 2 star) or Advanced (>250 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Divemaster, BSAC Dive Leader or CMAS 3 star
Intermediate

Optimal wind direction: The general wind direction which causes minimal exposure at the site, corresponding to 8 points of the compass: North (N), North East (NE), East (E, South East (SE), South (S), South West (SW), West, North West (NW)
SW/W/NW

Exposure: The approximate level of exposure to wind and wave action at the site on any given day, described as Sheltered (inshore sites surrounded by a form of shelter on all sides), Moderate (sites which are partially sheltered) or Exposed (sites with little to no shelter)
Exposed

Tidal strength: Anecdotal description of tidal strength at the site
Strong

Marine Protected Area: A Yes or No highlighting whether or not the site occurs within a Marine Protected Area
No

Visibility: Anecdotal description of the typical underwater visibility at the site
Best time to dive: Anecdotal recommendation for the best time to dive the site for optimal underwater conditions. This typically relates to the stage of the tide
Getting there: Directions for getting to the site

By boat from Cushendall harbour head north. The wreck lies approx. 1km north of Tornamoney Point, about 200m off the shore

Facilities: Details of nearest facilities to dive site i.e. public car parking and toilets, slipways etc

Free car parking and public toilets are available at Cushendall caravan park / Cushendall Sailing and Boating Club. There is a slipway, but priority is given to the RNLI and berthing is not allowed. For use contact Cushendall/Ballycastle Harbour Office: 02820768525 / 07803505084.

Nearest tank filling is Aquaholics, Portstewart/Ballycastle (call in advance: 028 7083 2584)

Hazards: Anecdotal information on possible hazards at the site for divers and snorkellers

Description: A general description of the physical features of the dive site

The wreck is broken up across the rocky seabed, along with broken crockery. This was a partially wooden wreck and the wooden parts can be seen along with the copper bottom and nails. there are large brass bolts holding the wooden beams together. A very bright dive amongst the rocks and weed.

History: The history of the wreck provided by the Senior Marine Archaeologist from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division (only included for wreck sites)

Date of loss 05/01/1867. A full-rigged composite ship of iron and wood, 52m in length. Built in 1865 in Glasgow. En route from Glasgow to Singapore with a general cargo of spirits, beer, cotton, pottery and saddlery. One of the castle line of ships. Stranded and lost with all hands. Eleven bodies were recovered and are said to have been buried in a mass grave near Layd; a large mound is said to be still visible. Relocated by sports divers in the 1970s and ‘heavily plundered’. In 1995 a survey and short excavation under license from NI Gov was carried out by Management for Archaeology Underwater (MAU) in order to obtain a representative sample of the cargo (see Breen 1996; Breen and Forsythe 2004). The wreck lies in 15m of water, 70m offshore at the base of steep boulder cliffs. This is an important wreck and a potential candidate for protection. Please do not carelessly damage the site further. Condition assessments would be welcomed by the Historic Environment Division (see ‘Record Heritage’).

Information drawn from Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (HERoNI), Department for Communities, Historic Environment Division.

Biodiversity: A description of the species composition at the site. Species of interest are highlighted. Follow the links for more information about the species on the NBN Atlas Northern Ireland website

Not yet described!

View all species records from this site

A link to the dive site location on the NBN Atlas Northern Ireland website, showing all species records from within a 1km boundary of the site centroid. Any new species records from the site submitted to Seasearch, iRecord, CEDaR Online Recording or iNaturalist will appear here
Local charters: A link to the website for the nearest Dive Centre to the site. A map of all dive centres is provided under ‘Go Diving’

Aquaholics

Environmental and Historical Designations: A list of any environmental or historical designations attributed to the site, or overlapping it. Follow the link for more information

More information: Links to additional information found online for the dive site

Irish Wrecks Online

Safety: Safety tips

  • In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.
  • Follow VHF radio Channel 16 (156.8 MHz), the international distress frequency. Send a distress alert followed by ‘MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY’ and ‘This is [boat name]’.
  • Find nearest defibrillator (AED) here.
  • Cushendall Harbour Office: 02820768525
Latitude, Longitude: The approximate XY coordinates for the dive site in Decimel Degrees (DD). These can be converted to DMS or DDM by following the link below
55.149175, -6.022828

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