True identity of rotting ship hulk in Plymouth discovered

By Alex Green

Journalist

A team of maritime archaeologists has discovered the true identity a large wooden ship hulk buried in Hooe Lake, on the outskirts of Plymouth.

The remains of the vessel lie buried alongside a stone jetty on the north side of the lake.

The hulk has now been identified by The Ships Project as the John Sims, a Westcountry schooner.

Until the recent discovery, it was thought to have been a Dutch barge called the Two Brothers.

The Ships Project is a volunteer non-profit organisation that undertakes research and exploration of maritime historical sites and events, both on land and underwater.

Hooe Lake is known as a "ships' graveyard" due to the 36 known ship hulks buried there.

The Ships Project said it was thought Hooe Lake had been a place where boats had been abandoned for centuries.

The lake is shallow and tidal, so boats can be abandoned at high tide, yet still accessed when the tide recedes.

While writing up archaeological investigations, the team discovered a letter between local historians John Cotton and Martin Langley when going through John Cotton's archive.