An historic wreck could halt a private developer's plans to build a marina in St. George's.

Over the weekend archaeological assessors from East Carolina University carried out a survey of the vessel know as the Medway located near Meyer's Slip in St. George's Harbour. They discovered that it is from the 1870s and in near-perfect condition.

Medway will now become the test case for the Historic Wrecks Act passed in 2001, which aims to protect maritime resources by imposing strict guidelines for the treatment and exploration of shipwrecks. The survey was commissioned by a private developer as part of a planning application.

Dame Jennifer Smith, chair of the Historic Wreck Association, said: "We are very pleased that the team from East Carolina University has agreed to act as archaeological assessors for this wreck. They will be conducting the survey under the auspices of the Bermuda Maritime Museum with assistance from the Custodian of Wrecks; from this survey we hope to learn more about this unique wreck and its place in Bermuda's maritime history."

Curator of Wrecks Philippe Rouja, said local lore suggested the Medway was bought from the Royal Navy after being decommissioned and was probably used as a lighter — a vessel to off-load cargo from other ships.

She eventually sank at Marginal Wharf and was raised or refloated by the US Navy shortly thereafter with great difficulty by dredging and passing large chains under her hull in two places.

It is thought that she was put at Meyer's slip deliberately to act as a breakwater but another story suggests that she was taken to Meyer's slip for repairs but sank before they could be completed.

Until now many people had assumed the wreck was a relatively new one from the 20th Century. However, the team from East Carolina University say the ship is older than that and represents a highly inventive, unique and ultimately unsuccessful naval ship design from the 1870s.

Mr. Rouja said: "All this time, it was there and we did not realise the historical importance of it. It is in amazing condition. It is quite exciting.

"There are a variety of options now that the discovery has been made. This will be the first time we will be using the Historic Wreck Act so it will be interesting to see what happens."

The wreck is currently restricted so members of the public cannot dive on it but if individuals are interested in learning more about it they can call Mr. Rouja at 293-4464.