Royal Sovereign shoal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Sovereign shoal (50°44’50”N 0°26’0”E) is an area of shallow water located in the eastern English Channel five miles (8 km) offshore and due south of Bexhill. The shoal comprises an outcrop of sandstone and chalk rising to a height of 3.5 m below chart datum. It occupies an area of about one square kilometre,1 km2.[1] The shoal is reputedly named after HMS Royal Sovereign which was wrecked on the reef in 1757. As a hazard to shipping the shoal has been marked by light vessels (1875-1971), a lighthouse (1971-2022) and now by buoys.[2]
Royal Sovereign shoal
Wide Mouth shoal | |
|---|---|
underwater shoal or reef | |
 Interactive map of Royal Sovereign shoal | |
| Coordinates: 50°44′50″N 0°26′0″E / 50.74722°N 0.43333°E | |
| Grid position | TV 720 960 |
| Location | English Channel |
| Geology | sandstone and chalk |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.0 km2 (0.39 sq mi) |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 1.5 km (0.93 mi) |
| • Width | 1.5 km (0.93 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3.5 m (11 ft) below chart datum |
| Marked by buoys, formerly by light vessel and lighthouse | |
Geology
The Royal Sovereign shoal comprises Upper Greensand sandstone with an outcrop of chalk in the north west.[1] The reef rises from the seabed of gravel, mud and sand with a water depth of 15 m below chart datum to a depth of 3.5 m below datum.[1] At the shallowest part it comprises bedrock slabs and flat top boulders. At the south end it comprises smooth un-fissured bedrock. To the west other sandstone shoals are Horse of Willingdon, Elphick Tree and Long Shoal. The Royal Sovereign shoal experiences tidal currents of up to 2.6 knots (1.3 m/s).[1]
Biology
Animals on the reef include sponges, sea squirt, Nemertesia, bryozoans, starfish, tubeworm, soft coral, cuckoo wrasse, ballan wrasse, bib, blenny, poor cod and anemones.[1]
The name
The shoal is reputedly named after HMS Royal Sovereign which was wrecked on the reef in 1757. However, there is evidence that HMS Royal Sovereign was in Chatham dockyard at the time, the identity of the wrecked ship is unknown.[2]
Another account states that HMS Victory, returning from the battle of Trafalgar, was nearly wrecked on the reef, which was given the name Royal Sovereign after Admiral Collingwood’s flag ship HMS Royal Sovereign.[3]
It is also known as the Wide Mouth shoal.[4]