GAD 23 is the remains of a wooden merchant sailing vessel carrying a cargo of coal. Ship’s equipment and its design and construction suggest that it dates to around the 19th century. When it was first surveyed in 2006 it was so intact that the bow sprit was still attached extending from the bow. This led to it being known to archaeologists as the Bow Sprit wreck.
The wreck was first dived in 1999 by local diver Bob Peacock who had been told of a net snagging by a Ramsgate fisherman. The bows were pointing towards the then Richborough power station and its bow sprit was intact.
The 2017 multi-beam survey shows the wreck is still exposed and there has been inevitable deterioration. It is, however, in relatively good condition considering its a wooden shipwreck that has been exposed for many years and one that is worthy of scheduling and further investigations.
This image below is a point cloud derived from the multi-beam survey. It shows a side elevation of the starboard (left) side. The bow is to the right and the stern to the left. The deck beams that once supported the deck can be seen traversing the top of the wreck.
More detailed information can be found in Historic England’s Advice Report
