THE DAKOTIAN WRECK By Richard Trevithick A 6,426-ton merchant ship, the Dakotian makes for a large wreck. The ship was sunk by a parachute mine in 1940 and the wreck now sits upright on a silty sea bed in 17-20m.
Photo:Richard Trevithick

51º 42.20' N 05º 08.32' W Distance from Dale: 0.9nM Slack water: one hour before high water (HW) and low water (LW) A 6,426-ton merchant ship, the Dakotian makes for a large wreck. The ship was sunk by a parachute mine in 1940 and the wreck now sits upright on a silty sea bed in 17-20m. In the right conditions, this is a pleasant and exciting dive. Slack water makes all the difference, as the currents are strong at most other times. As with most sites in Milford Haven, visibility is better on the HW slack when clearer water floods into the estuary, rather than at LW. Similarly, the wreck is best avoided after periods of stormy weather, or after heavy rainfall. The effects of wind and rainwater draining from the rivers and out through the Haven can reduce visibility to barely a metre. The stern is the most intact part of the wreck, and when there is good visibility the rudder and propeller shaft are well worth aiming for. The wreck was wire-swept to deck level and, to prevent the navigational hazard that the wreck posed after sinking, the bows were dispersed by explosives. In good visibility and at slack the wreck provides a good dive for most levels of experience. The maximum depth is normally found in the scour pit at the stern. Remnants of the ship's cargo of tin plate can be found, still as bright and shiny as the day the ship sank. The same cannot be said of the cargo of Christmas puddings! The Dakotian is marked by the easterly cardinal buoy of the same name. The wreck is roughly 150m northwest of the buoy and can be found easily with an echosounder.

NEED TO KNOW
Dive shops
Dive In 2 Pembrokeshire 01646 636684
http://www.dive-in2-pembrokeshire.com
Dive Pembrokeshire 01437 781117
http://www.dive-pembrokeshire.com
West Wales Divers, Hasguard Cross 01437 781457
http://www.westwalesdivers.co.uk
Charts
Admiralty charts 2878, 1482, 1478
'Tidal Streams around Skomer' available
from Skomer Nature Reserve
Dive guides
Shipwrecks Around Wales Volumes 1 & 2
by Tom Bennett (ISBN: 0951211404 and 0951211420)
Coastguard
Milford Haven Coastguard 01646 690909
VHF Channel 16

Note: GPS numbers listed here refer to OSGB36 datum (Degrees, Minutes and Decimals). Times of HW and LW relate to the port of Milford Haven.