Anchor taken before it could be installed as a memorial
A 4.5 tonne anchor, originally from the wreck of SS Agnes Jack, has been stolen from Port Eynon Boat Club.
The anchor was given to the club after divers recovered it on the wreck of a steamer that sank off the coast of Port Eynon in South Wales. It was stolen before the club could use the anchor in a sailors’ memorial.
Geoff Payne, secretary of Port Eynon Boat Club, said the anchor was entrusted to the club to keep safe.
“The idea was going to be to try and put it at the roundabout at Port Eynon (pictured above) or for it to go to the Waterfront Museum in Swansea,” he said.
SS Agnes Jack hit the rocks at Port Eynon during a storm in 1883, killing all of the 18 men onboard.
According to the BBC, the tragedy led to the formation of a lifeboat station in the village a year later, near the Port Eynon churchyard where the sailors are buried.
“I would think the whole community would be upset about it as it is part of our heritage,” Payne told This is South Wales.
Payne believes the thieves would have needed a crane to take the anchor because it spans three metres and weighs 4.5 tonnes.
It’s thought the anchor will be sold for scrap.
South Wales Police are investigating the theft and appealing for information.
Credits: Port Eynon image by Jan Haas.