The list of shipwrecks in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

lists some of the

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

s that wrecked on or sank in the waters of the

Bailiwick of Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey (french: Bailliage de Guernesey; Guernésiais: ''Bailliage dé Guernési'') is an island country off the coast of France as one of the three Crown Dependencies. Separated from the Duchy of Normandy by and under the t ...

and the Bailiwick of Jersey. The list includes ships that sustained a damaged hull, which were later refloated and repaired. There are at least 700 identified shipwrecks and another 100 unidentified, in Bailiwick of Guernsey waters alone.

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

experiences some of the largest tidal ranges in the world, up to 12 metres;

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

has slightly less dramatic tides. The mass of water moving in and out gives rise to fast moving currents. Alderney has the

Alderney Race The Alderney Race is a strait that runs between Alderney and Cap de la Hague, a cape at the northwestern tip of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. A strong current runs through the race north of the Passage de la Déroute, a treacherous passage s ...

, which can run up to about twelve knots during equinoctial tides. These combined with the numerous smaller islands, offshore reefs, and isolated rocks extending up to from the main islands, as well as the Islands' location close to the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

shipping channels, has resulted in thousands of shipwrecks over the centuries. Guernsey-Les Casquets

The Bailiwick of Guernsey comprises the islands of

Alderney Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making it the third-largest ...

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of l ...

, Herm and a number of smaller islands, islets and rocks. See

List of islands of the Bailiwick of Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey (French: Bailliage de Guernesey) is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. Bailiwick includes As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes: * Alderney together wi ...

for a complete list of their smaller islands.

Les Casquets Les Casquets or (The) Casquets ( ) is a group of rocks eight miles (13 km) northwest of Alderney in the Channel Islands; they are administered by the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The rocks are part of an underwater sandstone ridge. Other part ...

or (The) Casquets ( ); is a group of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

s 13 km west of

and are part of an underwater

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

ridge. Other parts which emerge above the water are the islets of

Burhou Burhou (pronounced ''ber-ROO'') is a small island about northwest of Alderney that is part of the Channel Islands. It has no permanent residents, and is a bird sanctuary, so landing there is banned from March 15 to August 1. The island's wildli ...

and

Ortac Ortac is a small uninhabited islet about west of the coast of Alderney near to the islet of Burhou. It measures roughly , and rises above the sea level.

. Little vegetation grows on them. Jersey-Les Minquiers

The Bailiwick of Jersey comprises the island of

and a number of smaller islets and rocks, most of which are covered at high tide. See

List of islands of the Bailiwick of Jersey The Bailiwick of Jersey ( Jèrriais: ''Bailliage dé Jèrri'') is a British Crown dependency off the French coast of Normandy. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the Bailiwick includes the nearly uninhabited islands and islets of: ...

for a complete list of their smaller islands. Les Écréhous NE of

consists of two reefs which form an extensive shoal area long and wide.

Les Minquiers The Minquiers (''Les Minquiers''; in Jèrriais: ''Les Mîntchièrs'' ; known as "the Minkies" in local English) are a group of islands and rocks, about south of Jersey. They form part of the Bailiwick of Jersey. They are administratively part ...

S of

, its largest island is only 50 metres by 20 metres, but at low water,

has a land area greater than 100

km² Square kilometre ( International spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square kilometer (American spelling), symbol km2, is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area. 1 km2 is equ ...

. The deliberate wrecking of ships has not been a

Channel Island The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

trait, although the recovery of goods from a natural wreck has always been undertaken.

Smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

and

Privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

's have abounded in the Islands' waters over many centuries. Modern navigation systems have helped reduce the number of disasters, but shipping still receive warnings of waters around the Channel Islands.

Key

12th to 18th centuries

19th century

20th and 21st centuries

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipwrecks in the Channel Islands

Transport disasters in the Channel Islands Channel Islands-related lists History of Alderney History of Guernsey History of Jersey Maritime incidents

Key

12th to 18th centuries

19th century

20th and 21st centuries

See also

References