County's shipwrecks lure visitors and locals (From Western Telegraph)

County's shipwrecks lure visitors and locals

The hundreds of shipwrecks off the Pembrokeshire Coast are the target of a new breed of adventure holidaymakers.

Voyages of Discovery, St Davids, has asked shipwreck expert Jim Phillips - who has been diving off the Pembrokeshire coast for over 30 years - to guide a series of Shipwreck Boat Trips covering many of the famous St Davids shipwreck sites over the summer holiday period.

Mr Phillips has discovered more than 25 shipwrecks off the coast of Pembrokeshire and regularly lectures about shipwrecks to historical societies, clubs and organisations.

The Shipwreck Boat Trips will cover Ramsey Island, Ramsey Sound, Bishops and Clerks and St Davids Head, one of the most notorious stretches of the coastline in maritime history.

Some of the trips will visit the site of the World War One wreck SS Colonian, which foundered on the North Bishops, and the paddle-steamer Nimrod, wrecked at St David's Head, in 1860 with the loss of all 45 on board.

Also included in the boat trips is the story of the courage of the St Davids lifeboatmen, illustrated in 1910 by the loss of the Gem, on the Bitches Reef in Ramsey Sound, when Coxswain Stephens, and crewmen Rowlands and Price were drowned.

'It's important they are not forgotten, and their story will be told,' said Jim. Jim has planned a number of different trips, each covering different wrecks around the coast.

'I planned these trips with the holidaymaker in mind, but the amount of inquiries we have had from Pembrokeshire people themselves has amazed me,' added Jim. 'They have heard stories passed down through the generations about these shipwrecks, and now they would like to visit the wreck sites.'

Jim Phillips will show artefacts recovered from numerous wrecks, along with photographs of the ships, and the story of their last, fateful voyage.

'Tourism in Pembrokeshire is diversifying and visitors find our maritime history fascinating,' added Mr Phillips.

Caption Shipwreck expert Jim Phillips tells the story at the site of the disaster when the St Davids Lifeboat, Gem, was wrecked in 1910 on the deadly Bitches Reef in Ramsey Sound.