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On the 22nd of March 2003 the RMS Mulheim cargo ship ran aground in Cornwall England close to Lands End. The reason it ran aground is somewhat bizarre. The chief officer had been sitting on a chair while on watch early in the morning. When he tried to get up he caught his trousers on a lever and fell, knocking himself unconscious. When he came round the ship was about to hit the rocks and there was no time to stop it. The crew were all winched to safety and no one was seriously hurt.
The day after, the 90m long ship was declared a constructive total loss and a salvage operation was attempted by Wijsmuiler Salvage. They managed to remove most of it's cargo of scrap car plastic but a lot was lost to the sea. The operation stopped at the end of May that year. In October during rough seas the ship broke into two pieces and the bridge section pushed into a rocky inlet called Castle Zawn where it lies today.
That was over 15 years ago and I was curious to see what's left of it now. At the top of the cliff is this sign. It says "the remaining wreckage is dangerous with unstable structures and sharp metal exposed. For your own safety please do not go near it". Naturally I decided to ignore this sign and scrambled down the steep and slippery gully to it.
Thousands of tourists visit this area every year but 99.99% come to see Lands End a mile or so away. This somewhat arbitrary piece of land is famous simply because it's England's most westerly point. For me exploring caves or stuff like this is far more interesting.
The day after, the 90m long ship was declared a constructive total loss and a salvage operation was attempted by Wijsmuiler Salvage. They managed to remove most of it's cargo of scrap car plastic but a lot was lost to the sea. The operation stopped at the end of May that year. In October during rough seas the ship broke into two pieces and the bridge section pushed into a rocky inlet called Castle Zawn where it lies today.
That was over 15 years ago and I was curious to see what's left of it now. At the top of the cliff is this sign. It says "the remaining wreckage is dangerous with unstable structures and sharp metal exposed. For your own safety please do not go near it". Naturally I decided to ignore this sign and scrambled down the steep and slippery gully to it.
Thousands of tourists visit this area every year but 99.99% come to see Lands End a mile or so away. This somewhat arbitrary piece of land is famous simply because it's England's most westerly point. For me exploring caves or stuff like this is far more interesting.
