The King William Banks are a series of

sand banks In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Ramsey, Isle of Man Ramsey ( gv, Rhumsaa) is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,845 according to the 2016 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has ...

. The King William Banks take their name from the stranding, in 1690, of

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...

whilst he was en route from the River Dee to

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...

. A story relates that on June 10, 1690, it being a

spring tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ca ...

, King William embarked on his ship in an area of the River Dee near

Hoylake Hoylake is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. Historic counties of En ...

referred to as the King's Gap. Edward Tariton,

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

of the ''James'', of Liverpool, piloted the King's vessel on its voyage to

. At approximately 04:00hrs the following morning (June 11) the vessel grounded on a sandbank off the

Point of Ayre The Point of Ayre ( gv, Kione ny Hayrey)''Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Three. Sheading of Ayre: (Kirk Andreas, Kirk Bride and Kirk Christ Lezayre)'' page 258 ''Kirk Bride'' by George Broderick – Turbingen ...

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, during a period of low water (the bank being uncharted). The King's vessel was aground for approximately 1 hour. The King William Banks lie centered approximately east of the

Ballacash Bank The Ballacash Bank is a sand bank Northeast of the Point of Ayre, Isle of Man. The currents around the Point of Ayre have, over the millennia formed a series banks stretching out to the east which, it is advised, should be avoided especially in h ...

. The banks extend approximately east-south-east and have a least depth of . First marked by navigational

buoys A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

in 1843,''Manx Sun.'' Saturday, June 25, 1887; Page: 8 the banks are denoted on maritime chart AC 2094

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; sco, Kirkcoubrie; gd, Cille Chùithbeirt) is a town, parish and a Royal Burgh from 1455 in Kirkcudbrightshire, of which it is traditionally the county town, within Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The town lies southwest of C ...

to the

Mull of Galloway The Mull of Galloway ( gd, Maol nan Gall, ; ) is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, at the end of the Rhins of Galloway peninsula. The Mull has one of the last remaining sections of natur ...

; AC 1826 Irish Sea Eastern Part; AC 2696 Ramsey Harbour; SC 5613.21.1 Isle of Man East Coast. Ramsey ; Imray C62 Irish Sea; Imray Y70 Isle of Man (Harbour Plan of Ramsey). A lighted buoy, moored east of the

, marks the eastern extremity of the banks. Other sandbars and banks in the area are the

, the

Bahama Bank The Bahama Bank is a sand bank across Ramsey Bay, about off the east coast of the Isle of Man northeast of Maughold Head. Description The bank extends from Northwest to Southeast, is 10 miles long and 1 mile broad. In the late 1840s the Bahama ...

, the

Strunakill Bank The Stunakill Bank is a shoal approximately west of The Point of Ayre, Isle of Man. The bank is denoted on maritime chart AC 2094 (at position ) Kirkcudbright to the Mull of Galloway & Isle of Man; AC 1826 Irish Sea Eastern Part; AC 2696 Ramsey ...

and the

Whitestone Bank The Whitestone Bank is a sand bank approximately east of The Point of Ayre, Isle of Man. The Whitestone Channel separates the island from the bank. Description The bank is denoted on maritime chart AC 2094 Kirkcudbright to the Mull of Gallow ...

References

{{coord, 54, 27, 00.00, N, 4, 04, 59.00, W, type:waterbody_source:dewiki, display=title Shoals of the Isle of Man Landforms of the Irish Sea Fishing areas of the Atlantic Ocean