Not Set

The cargo ship Fylrix rolled over and sank in Jennycliff Bay in 1984 after her hold flooded in rough seas.

Type

Cargo ship

History

Drawing of the Fylrix by The SHIPS Project, click the image for a larger version

The MV Fylrix was a general cargo ship of 637 gross tons built by Niestern Sander in Appingedam, Holland, in 1962. She had a length of 61.9m, a beam of 8.6m and a depth of 3.7m and was owned by J.R. Rix & Sons Ltd. of Kingston-Upon-Hull. On 21st November 1984, the Fylrix had just picked up a cargo of 850 tons of granite chippings at Dean Quarry at Porthoustock in Cornwall and was on her way to London. When she was 10 miles southwest of the Eddystone lighthouse, the weather was poor with the wind blowing a severe gale, and the ship started to develop a list to starboard.

With the list increasing, the captain decided to head for Plymouth. The ship got lower in the water, and the sea started to break over her hull, so the captain radioed for help. Three of the crew were evacuated using a helicopter from RFA Engadine: the cook John Burnett, seaman Alex O’Connor and seaman Geoffrey Harrison.  The three were taken to the frigate HMS Brilliant, leaving the Master, Captain John Ricketts, Chief Officer Kenneth Bretherick and an engineer on board. The Fylrix was escorted into the Sound by the frigate, and she anchored in Jennycliff Bay. The starboard list increased, so the vessel was abandoned the following morning, the lifeboat taking off the remainder of the crew just before she went under. The cause of the list was reported as being due to her cargo shifting, but a later account said that the starboard side hatch combings had large holes on the upper side due to corrosion, and she was taking on water.

The wreck initially lay on her starboard side in 5 metres of water with her port side exposed at half tide.  Being easily accessible, the wreck was quickly stripped of all objects and fittings by sports divers. The bronze propeller was removed over the winter by an enterprising team who made a shifter large enough to undo the nut holding the propeller onto the shaft, using a big lifting bag to turn it. The huge prop was slid off the shaft and moved by lifting bag away from the site to be recovered later. The propeller eventually made its way to the Charlestown Shipwreck Museum in Cornwall.

By February 1985, the ship had been declared a constructive total loss, and in April, she was sold to the salvage company P.R. Eurosalve. A big storm in 1987 did a lot of damage to the wreck, as well as destroying the café on Jennycliff beach. By 1988, the hull was slowly being flattened by divers from Plymouth Ocean Projects (POP) at Fort Bovisand, who used her for underwater explosives training courses. In 1989, a spokesman for POP said that the wreck would be completely dismantled within two to three years, but this job was never completed, so the Fylrix has remained a hazard to navigation ever since.  On one occasion, an expensive motorboat hit the wreck, and in August 1989, a bilge keel yacht called Kate was left high and dry on the wreck when the tide went out.

Location and Access

Drawing of the Fylrix by The SHIPS Project, click the image for a larger version

Plymouth Sound, Jennycliff Bay

The wreck lies on a silty seabed close to shore in Jennycliff Bay.  The wreck is broken in two, with the flattened aft section lying on her starboard side, and the more intact bow section is upside down, about 5m tall.  The wreck outline can be hard to understand because of this strange attitude and because the upper part of the structure is covered with kelp and weed.

Diving was banned after the death of a diver inside the wreck but an enquiry to the Plymouth Queens Harbour Master in 2012 confirmed that the diving ban has now been lifted.

Nearby wrecks include the Hopper 42 , FS Poulmic and Vectis

Last updated 15 July 2025

Position GPS: 50° 21.070N  004° 07.542 W
Depth: 5m

Show the site on OpenSeaMap