Diamond (1823 ship) facts for kids

The Diamond was a large sailing ship built in New York City in 1823. It was a special kind of ship called a square rigger, meaning it had square sails on its masts. The Diamond was one of the first ships to offer regular trips for people and goods between Britain and the United States. Sadly, it sank on January 2, 1825, while sailing from New York to Liverpool. The wreck was found in Cardigan Bay, off the coast of Wales.

Building a Ship Like the Diamond

When the Diamond was built in 1823, shipbuilders were trying out many new ideas. They were using different materials and ways to build ships. The Diamond was about 120 feet (36.8 meters) long. It was built mostly from strong wood like white oak and locust wood. Its hull (the bottom part of the ship) was covered with thin sheets of copper. This copper protected the wood from tiny sea creatures and helped the ship move smoothly through the water.

The Diamond was a very important ship because it was one of the first to make regular trips across the Atlantic Ocean. It was like an early version of the huge ocean liners that would later carry thousands of people across the sea.

The Diamond's Last Journey

On December 12, 1824, the Diamond began its final trip from New York. Captain Henry Macy was in charge. The ship was heading to Liverpool, carrying about 30 passengers. It also had a cargo of cotton, a chemical called potash, and apples. Plus, it carried important international mail.

On January 2, 1825, the ship hit a dangerous underwater reef called Sarn Badrig (which means St Patrick's Causeway) in Cardigan Bay. The Diamond sank in about 14 meters (46 feet) of water. Even though the ship was underwater, its masts and sails could still be seen sticking out of the water. Luckily, lifeboats from a nearby town called Barmouth quickly came to help, and most of the passengers were saved.

Finding the Wreck of the Diamond

In the year 2000, two local divers, Tony Iles and his daughter Helen, found a shipwreck. They used a special tool called a magnetometer to find metal objects underwater. When they dived down, they saw wooden parts of a ship that seemed to be reinforced with iron. They thought the wreck was more than 150 feet long. They also found pieces of metal called Muntz Metal (also known as "Yellow Metal") from the ship's hull.

Because of their discovery, the wreck site was officially protected on April 1, 2002. This was done under a law called the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. It was the first time a shipwreck in Wales was protected in this way by the National Assembly for Wales. This protection means that only special licensed divers can explore the site.

Is It Really the Diamond?

After the wreck was protected, more investigations took place. In 2002, a diver named Ian Cundy was given a license to study the site. What he found made people wonder if the wreck was actually the Diamond.

Here's why:

• The wreck seemed to be about 160 feet (49 meters) long, which is longer than the Diamond was.
• Some of the metal found at the site was stamped "Muntz Metal." This type of metal wasn't invented until 1832, which is several years after the Diamond sank in 1825.
• Scientists also looked at samples of wood from the wreck. They used a method called dendrochronology, which studies tree rings to find out when wood was cut. The wood from the wreck seemed to have been cut around 1840. This is much later than when the Diamond was built (1823) or sank (1825).

Cardigan Bay has been the site of many shipwrecks over the years. Because of these new findings, experts are still working to figure out if the protected wreck is truly the Diamond or another ship. The mystery continues!