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 close to the surface or ...

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—eac ...

Ramsey, Isle of Man Ramsey () is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. In 2024 it became the largest town on the Island after Douglas, Isle of Man, Douglas was granted city status. Ramsey's population is 8,288 according to the Census in the Isle of Man, ...

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

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also 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 167 ...

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 28,141 at the 2021 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 ...

, 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. At the 2021 United K ...

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

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

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 ()''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 ; Niemeyer NE:HS ...

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

, 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 bank is denoted on maritime charts and marked with the West Cardinal Buoy at position . The buoy A buoy (; ) is a buoyancy, floating device that can have man ...

. 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. History The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navigation buo ...

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

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; ) is a town at the mouth of the River Dee, Galloway, River Dee in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, southwest of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie. A former royal burgh, it is the traditional county town of Kirkcudbrightshire. His ...

to the

Mull of Galloway The Mull of Galloway (, ; ) is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, at the end of the Rhins of Galloway peninsula, also being the most southerly hill. The Mull has one of the last remain ...

; 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 Ba ...

, 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 The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), ...

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