Wreck of the Iverna

sketchfab

The Iverna was a top-of-the-line racing yacht built in Portsmouth in 1890. Designed to compete in the 1891 America's Cup, she was one of the most advanced vessels of her time. John Jameson owned her from 1890 until 1926, when he sold her and converted her into a houseboat. In 1974, a leak caused her to spring, and as she lay exposed on the tidal mud of the Kingsbridge Estuary in Devon, a support strut gave way, sending her crashing down into the mud, where she remains today. The skeletal remains of the Iverna, along with several abandoned smaller boats and barges, are buried deep in the mud, only visible at low tide. A drone captured images for this model, but flight was restricted by low-hanging trees, limiting the number of usable photos to about half. Despite the challenges, it's a difficult site to reach, making the model a basic yet valuable record of the iron framing used during that era, if scaled properly. The skeletal remains of the Kingsbridge Estuary hulks are visible from above the cliff edges and tree branches.