Summary

Wreck site 5004 is situated SSE of Littlehampton in West Sussex. The wreck lies in 10.7m (CD) of water on a sandy/ gravelly seabed. The wreck was discovered by the UKHO in 1975 at a depth of 18m. In 1984 the site was dived for the UKHO and described as a big metal wreck with iron propeller and a cargo of iron ore.

Wessex Archaeology conducted a geophysical survey on the site in 2002 and 2003 and carried out documentary research.

Results

Using documentary sources and measurements taken off the multibeam data, wreck 5004 could be identified as the Belgian steamer Concha.

The Concha was en route from Carloforte in Sardinia to Antwerp with a cargo of iron, copper and tin ore, when she collided with the steamer Saint Filians from Liverpool on the 20th August 1897. Nine sailors died in the accident. The expensive cargo of tin and copper ore was probably salvaged after the accident, while the iron ore remained in the wreck.

(Lloyds Register 1896)