The 254 year anniversary of the fate of the French merchantman, Le Vainqueur which struck Sker Rocks takes place on 17 December 2007.

She was enroute from Lisbon to Le Harve when her captain entered the Bristol Channel by mistake. The shameful plundering of the wreck by local people led to 17 arrests with 1 person being hanged for the offences committed.

1753 - Le Vainqueuer [ Learn more ]

Hurricane force winds caused the Barque Amazon on her outward journey from Port Talbot to Chile to drift onto Margam Sands and break up on 01 September 1908.

Fully laden with coal the towering seas smashed over the decks - three quarters of her crew lost their lives in this tradgedy. The Captain had been lashed to the mainmast and was discovered 8 days later near Sker Point.

1908 - The Amazon [ Learn more ]

The Nash Point Lighthouses have helped mariners to keep clear of the Nash Sands since the disaster of the paddle steamer Frolic in 1831.

The paddle steamer Frolic sank with the loss of all onboard on 16 March 1831 at Nash Sands, Porthcawl. As a direct result of this tradegy the Nash Lighthouses were constructed to guide vessels safely around the notorious Nash Sands.

[ Nash Lighthouses & Paddle Steamer Frolic ]

Allegations are sometimes made that the inhabitants of South Wales engaged in the sinister practice of wrecking - the deliberate luring of ships to their doom.

Traditionally this is said to have been done at night by tying lanterns to the horns of cattle, leading them back and forth along the shore or tying lanterns to grazing sheep.

Learn more about these practises [ Smuggling around Kenfig ]

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