Fenner

Three miles to the west of the Needles lies the remains of the Fenner, a Dutch schooner which sank in 1881 while sailing from Antwerp to Messina and Trieste. This site was brought to our attention by Dave Wendes, skipper of dive boat Wight Spirit. He promised an interesting dive and the site certainly provided this!

Lying on a flat gravel and sand seabed the remains of the vessel form an oasis for marine life. Most exposed wooden elements have been eaten away by marine organisms leaving the cargo stacked as it was when the ship went down. It appears that the vessel sank straight to the bottom, where it rests at 20 meters depth, so there has been little disturbance of the cargo.

Sheets of glass lie stacked beneath iron railway girders and barrel-shaped lumps of concrete which were once encased in wood. Study of this cargo can provide interesting information on stowage in the late 19th century, while the wreck site itself can inform on site formation processes and seabed stability.

The sheets of glass are clearly visible on the site

If you would like to dive the site contact Dave Wendes, email wightspirit@btinternet.com, or visit his website www.wightspirit.co.uk/