Filey Bay John Paul Jones Heritage coast. In a brand new exclusive initiative to mark this occasion, John Adams and the Filey Bay Initiative is launching the Filey Bay John Paul Jones Heritage Coast Initiative, the first of its kind in Yorkshire.

Boiler from the wreck of the trawler Diamond

Ever since man put to sea on devices that floated he has lost his life and possessions to the sea. The known inventory of recorded vessel casualties on the coast of Yorkshire is substantial. The turbulent North Sea weather was responsible for an enormous number of shipping losses and it was chiefly the treachery of the North Sea, combined with the hostility of the shore that made the Yorkshire Coast such a maritime graveyard. There were also other contributing factors including collisions, strandings, founderings, unseaworthiness of vessels, accidental fires, and military actions.

The Romans installed a signal station on the Cliffs of Carr Naze to the north of the Bay to warn against invaders and the Filey Brigg which was believed to have been built by the devil for the purpose of wrecking ships and it has had a bell buoy present since early times. Flamborough Head to the south and the cliff shores that shoulder it have caused innumerable shipwrecks over the centuries for the simple reason that the vessels were aiming for the Head as a navigation mark. The types of vessels lost vary enormously, a recent discovery has been made of a timber from a large medieval ocean going vessel and there are the remains of wooden colliers, fishing vessels, warships and merchant vessels in the Bay. Many of the random items and wreck sites defy identification and present a detective problem for the Filey Bay Initiative and their associates but underwater recording of these enigmas continue as they form the rich tapestry of our local history.

Amongst the most famous vessels to be lost was the famed flagship of Commodore John Paul Jones in 1779, the BonHomme Richard, and the Filey Bay Initiative with support from international institutions are currently investigating a substantial wooden wreck believed to be that of the Richard. The Initiative are also investigating and recording other sites of underwater cultural heritage in the study area and these include the 1779 wreck of the frigate Nautilus, the more modern steel and iron wrecks and aircraft lost in the last century

Heritage Coast What and where is it? Geology Air Archaeology Filey Bay Initiative The search for the Bonhomme Richard