Wreck south-west of Beachy Head, possibly the remains of HMS Saltash

Summary

The wreck of a ship, possibly the remains of HMS Saltash, lying approximately 3.4 nautical miles south-west of Beachy Head, East Sussex. HMS Saltash was launched in 1742 and lost on 24 June 1746, whilst in pursuit of a French privateer.

Reasons for Designation

The wreck of a ship, south-west of Beachy Head, possibly the remains of HMS Saltash, which is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Period: the mid-C17 saw the smaller ships of the Royal Navy taking on a more active role in the war at sea, with frigates and unrated vessels engaged in patrol and maritime trade protection duties. HMS Saltash is representative of the larger sloop that was built during this transitional period in naval warfare;

* Rarity: the ship is a rare example of the larger sloop, built during a transitional period, when this type of vessel was becoming the workhorse of the Royal Navy; others being HMS Swift, built 1763, lost off the coast of Patagonia 1770 and HMS Harlequin, lost off Seaford, East Sussex in 1809;

* Survival: the wreck contains a considerable proportion of the vessel’s armament, together with a diverse assemblage of artefacts. Underneath the central mound there is potential for a large section of wooden structural remains being buried;

* Potential: the wreck has the potential to enhance our knowledge and understanding of a Royal Navy sloop from this period through examination of hull constructional details, fixtures and fittings and artefact assemblages.

History

HMS Saltash was a sloop of war built by John Quallet and Joshua Sparrow at Pitchers Point, Rotherhithe, London and launched in 1743. Sloops were not built to a standard design, but HMS Saltash is considered to belong to either the ‘Drake Group’ or the ‘Baltimore Class’, named after the designer, Lord of the Admiralty Lord Baltimore, of whom King George II remarked “Thinks he understands everything, but understands nothing.” (McLaughlan p 169). The first ships of the former group were built in 1740-1741, armed with 8 guns. HMS Saltash was part of a subsequent batch of seven larger 14-gun sloops, built in 1741-1744.

The ship was 26.53m long, 7.62m wide, depth in hold was 3.06m, length of keel 22.56m. Extant line plans of the Drake group of sloops show these vessels to be two masted, flush-decked with two decks. HMS Saltash was armed with 14 four pounders and 14 swivel guns. The ship’s complement was 110.

The sea wars of the C18 were fought between ‘ships of the line’ in battle fleets and the role of smaller vessels in these engagements was limited. However, HMS Saltash was in service at a time of transition where sloops of war were growing in importance, especially for the purposes of patrol and maritime trade protection.

HMS Saltash saw service during conflicts with Spain and France 1739-1748 (War of Jenkin’s Ear and War of the Austrian Succession) and the Jacobite Rising of 1745.

HMS Saltash entered service in December 1742, commanded by Commander Peter Toms, and was deployed in the Mediterranean. From February 1743 to June 1744, the ship was commanded by Captain Edward Spragge. During this time HMS Saltash both took a prize and in 1744 was almost taken by a French fleet off Lisbon.

There was a change in command between June 1744 until September 1745 and then John Pitman assumed responsibility for the vessel; that month HMS Saltash was deployed to Scotland and home waters, as the Jacobite Rising escalated. There the vessel remained until at least February 1746.

The summer saw HMS Saltash return to patrolling the southern coast actively seeking and capturing French privateers and other enemy vessels, taking three as prizes during May and June. It was whilst attempting to take such a prize, during a thunderstorm, that the vessel was hit by a squall off Beachy Head and foundered. Amongst the casualties were the ship’s captain, John Pitman and his lieutenant, George Beaumont, both discharged dead from the service.

Local divers investigated an unidentified anomaly in Spring 2022 and tentatively identified this as the remains of HMS Saltash. Historic England commissioned Wessex Archaeology to undertake an undesignated site assessment in August 2023. This revealed that part of the contents of the vessel, including a considerable proportion of the armament, are lying on top of a large section of the ship’s bottom or side. The location of the wreck, the objects observed on the seabed, including the barrel hoops marked with the broad arrow, support the identification of the wreck.

In 2025 Historic England was notified of a mapping discrepancy in the Schedule entry, and this was subsequently amended to better reflect a more accurate position of the wreck site.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: The site of the wreck, possibly the remains of HMS Saltash, comprises the wreck of a wooden sailing ship. The apparent centre of the site was plotted as a point centred 50 41.565 N, 00 10.685 E. A buffer zone of 50m radius has been included within the protected area. No part of the scheduled area lies above the high water mark of ordinary spring tides.

DESCRIPTION: The wreck site comprises a mound of concreted objects roughly oval in shape, measuring about 10m by 6m and orientated SW-NE, at a depth of 28m with some 14 iron cannon scattered around the edge of the mound. The seabed is a flat, firm gravel with a thin layer of gravelly sand building up close to the mound. There are cuprous barrel hoops, bearing the Royal Navy broad arrow, several small anchors, lead sheets and other items consistent with a mid-18th century date close to and lying around the mound. There is evidence of surviving structure under the mound and this appears to comprise framing, inner and outer planking.

Scheduled area: 50m within 50 41.565 N, 00 10.685 E.

Sources

Books and journals
McLaughan, I, The Sloop of War 1650 - 1763, (2014), 167 - 186

Other
MSDS Marine Ltd (2025) Designated Site Assessment, HMS Saltash (2025/MSDS25313/5)
Wessex Archaeology (2024) Unidentified Wooden Wreck: possibly the remains of HMS Saltash. Undesignated Site Assessment Final Report (259310.10)

End of official list entry

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