years ago.

Last Tuesday, the Maria Assumpta -- previously named the Cludad de Inca -- was wrecked off Falmouth with the loss of three lives.

The Royal Gazette this week learned of four eerie links between the ill-fated vessels involved in the sea dramas: The part-owner of the tall ship Marques, Mr. Mark Litchfield, skippered the Maria Assumpta, which was wrecked off Falmouth in the southwest of England last Tuesday. It was the world's oldest active square-rigged sailing ship; Maria Assumpta was formerly called the Ciudad de Inca, which was invloved in the Marques sea rescue; and Marques and the Ciudad de Inca both belonged to a sailing trust, the China Clipper Society.

The links between the Marias Assumpta and Marques were revealed yesterday by Harbour Radio sources after they dug into their files.

"We thought it was interesting that both vessesl suffered similar fates,'' a spokesman said.

It was in June 1984 that 19 crew members pf tje 117-foot British barque Marque perished after being entombed in the sunken vessel.

The British-registered ship went down after being hit by a freak squall during the Tall Ships Race.

There were emotional scemes at HMS Malabar as eight survivors were reunited with their Polish rescuers.

The Royal Gazette s reported at the time that the crew of the POlish schooner Zawisza Czarney held a brief memorial cereony at West End Royal Navy base.

A lengthy inquiry into the tragedy later took place.

In Tuesday's disaster, Mr. Litchfield was lucky to escape with his life.

Last week, the British Coast Guard said two crew members of the wooden Maria Assumpta were believed drowned, bringing the total death toll to three. The Coast Guard service at tthe port of Falmouth said in a statement: "We believe we are now looking for two bodies.

"We searched for about five hours last night but because the water temperature was so low the time they could have been expected to survive would have been cut right down.'' The Maria Assumpta ran onto rocks off the Camel estuary on Tuesday and swiftly broke up in heavy seas.

The body of one crew member, a Briton in her 50's was recovered from the sea on Tuesday, while tow others -- a British mand and a woman -- were reported missing and the remaining 11 of the total of 14 who havd been aboard survived.

The Guiness Book of Records listed the Maria Assumpta as the oldest active square-rigged sailing vessel in the world.

Formerly named the Ciudad de Inca, it was built nerar Barcelona, Spain, in 1858, and undeent restoartion in 1981-82.

Operated by a group in southeast England called The Friends of Maria Assumpta, the 98-feet, 127-ton vessel was used for sail trining movies and promotional appearances at regattas.

Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Bureau is carrying out an investigation into the disaster.

Mr. Litchfield, 54, sid on Tuesday night that the ship went grounding after the engines failed.

LSOT AT SEA -- the Maria Assumpta, shown here in 1984 ehen she was the Ciudad de Inca.