Place Name : West Platters, Skerries, Anglesey

CASTILIAN 3067 SS LIVERPOOL W 12-02-1943 EAST PLATTERS, NORTH A'SEY. 3067G tons, 5514DW tons. Cargo: munitions, P.O.W. mail, copper ore. Single-screw SS. Triple-expansion engine. Built: Sir Raylton Dixon & Co., Middlesbrough in 1919. 345'x 46.6'. Speed: 11.75 kts. Passengers: 4. Sailed from Manchester 09-02-1943 for Lisbon. Wrecked during wartime blackout after waiting to join southbound convoy. Wrekage in varying depths from 12mts down to 38mts at the ste rn which is intact though upside down (prop salvaged). Large pieces of centre section of wreck intact (upside down). Bows also intact with anchors still in place. Much ammunition still scattered about, 4.5" A/A shells, 40mm Beaufors and heavy machine-gun shells in abundance. Also 'bogie' wheels, aircraft propellor blades and A/A timing-heads. Ship's whistle salvaged from the wreck. Royal Nav y has made attempts at salvaging ammunition but large ammounts still remain (1995).\\r\\nThis is a dive-site that requires VERY careful planning. There is at best a 30-40 minute window between tides. Best time to dive is low water slack. BE WARNED: When the tide picks up curents in excess of 8-10 knots can be experienced. Depths to 40 metres under the stern section coupled with large areas of wreck sticking up from the steep sloping bottom make ascending hazardous when the curren t picks up. The flood tide pushes surfacing divers rapidly up into very shallow water. Considerable overfalling even in calm weather add to the hazards. Experienced divers and boat-handlers ONLY.

*Additional Info:-

Castillian is protected under S2PWA 1973

Castillian: designated 13 August 1997

Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 1976. Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved on 29/10/2006

Section 2 sites are designated because of the DANGEROUS nature of the site - eg. explosives*

(Additional information provided by Ian Barefoot, Nautical Archaeology Society - January 2007)