Shipwreck at Sennen: One small step for mankind, one big loss for a German cargo company

28 Jun

Words by Bethany Allen

Cornwall has a tangled history of shipwrecks, most famously surrounding the manacles near the Lizard and Long Ships lighthouse near Land’s End. Thousands of shipwrecks have been recorded around Cornwall’s shores, however, most reside secretly beneath the ocean’s surface, a hollow reminder of human error and the power of the ocean. As we explore Cornwall’s coastline searching for wild swimming locations, we stumble across all manner of things. When we saw our first shipwreck, the RMS Mulheim, we were equally enthralled and bemused as to how such a big cargo ship could have strayed so disastrously from its intended path. We decided to do some research and find out what exactly happened to this great hunk of metal.

The RMS Mulheim is a German cargo ship built in Romania and launched in 1999. On the 22nd March 2003 she was wrecked at Land’s End. After departing from Cork in Ireland, the 294ft vessel was bound for Lubeck, Germany, with 2,200 tons of scrap car plastic on board. During the early hours on March 22nd everything was proceeding as it should until the officer on watch attempted to get out of his chair. Unfortunately he never managed to stand up, and the Mulheim never made it to Lubeck. As he attempted to step from his chair his trousers got caught, and losing his balance he fell and was knocked unconscious. By the time he came round, the cargo ship was on a fast course to destruction on Cornwall’s shoreline and there was nothing that he or the seven other crew members could do to prevent it. Luckily they were all rescued by the Cornish coast guard. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the mangled remains of the Mulheim. One small step for mankind, one big loss for the German cargo company.

*Longships lighthouse viewed from the wreck site*

It was a sad moment for the voyage, but a sadder moment for Cornwall’s coastline as the huge ship decanted its plastic cargo into the ocean and its metal carcass was wedged between the rocks of Castle Zorn, a small cove near Sennen. Over the years, the heaps of metal have slowly been obliterated by the ocean and it now resembles nothing more than a vast rusty carcass.

How to find the RMS Mulheim

Walk along the coast path from Sennen beach towards Land’s End and you will come across Castle Zorn cove and the RMS Mulheim. Make sure to time your visit with low tide as then you can see the full extent of the ship, or at least what’s left of it! But please bear in mind it is not advisable to venture down to the ship as the sharp mangled metal is what some may define as “a death trap.”