The Wreck Inventory of Ireland Database (WIID) holds records of over 18,000 known and potential wreck sites in Irish waters. Wrecks in the database date to all periods; the earliest vessels represented being prehistoric logboats which are primarily found within Ireland’s inland waterways. With the intensification of shipping activity from the late medieval period onwards, the number of wrecking events off Irish waters increased exponentially with significant numbers occurring during the 18th and 19th centuries. This trend continued and the tumultuous events of the two World Wars in the first half of the 20th Century resulted in much larger numbers of vessels being lost in the waters surrounding Ireland, with an estimated 1,800 shipping casualties relating to both conflicts.

Information contained in the WIID is derived from a wide variety of sources including: UKHO wreck data; the National Museum of Ireland; 18th and 19th-century surveys and sea charts; Lloyd’s List and Lloyd’s Register of Shipping; historic newspapers; Parliamentary Papers; local and international journals; fishermen’s marks; charts and cartographic sources. Important information on wrecks has been obtained during targeted fieldwork carried out by the National Monuments Service’s Underwater Archaeology Unit (UAU), drawing on first-hand accounts from divers, fishermen, coastal walkers, independent archaeologists, other marine and inland-waterways users, often supplemented by the records held in the Dept. of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin.

The extensive seabed mapping programme carried out by the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Marine Institute as part of the INFOMAR project is very important, leading to the discovery of significant numbers of new wreck sites. It has also produced new high-resolution survey data on hundreds of other known wreck sites in Irish waters. NMS endeavours to ensure that the information in the Wreck Viewer is as accurate as possible. As only a relatively small percentage of wrecks have been accurately located to date, any information which can clarify positions or confirm new discoveries is greatly appreciated and new information will be updated to the viewer on an on-going basis. New information can either be emailed to nationalmonuments@chg.gov.ie or posted to: