DIVER has identified a shipwreck that has lain on the seabed for more than 100 years as a North- East steamship.

The SS Ladoga, which was built in Sunderland in 1892, sank after a collision in 1903.

Pete Hodkin was diving what has been known for many years as “Wreck 355” near Hastings, in Sussex, when he discovered the ship’s bell bearing its name.

Mr Hodkin, a training officer for the Mid Herts Divers, in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, said: “Finding a bell is one of the most exciting and valuable things a diver could find.

“It is usually the only positive means of identification.”

He was diving with 11 other members of Mid Herts Divers, from a boat run by Dive 125, based in Eastbourne, when he made the discovery on Saturday.

Mr Hodkin said: “Before jumping in, the boat’s skipper told us to bring up anything we find that might help identify the wreck.

“I was swimming along when I saw something round in the sand. At first I thought it was a plate. As I got a bit closer I thought it could be a bucket, but as I picked it up I realised it was a bell.”

The brass bell bears the words “SS Ladoga 1892 London”.

Records show that the SS Ladoga disappeared after a collision off the coast of Hastings on March 15, 1903.

It was a steam cargo ship built by William Doxford and Sons Ltd, in Sunderland, in 1892. It was renamed SS Miraflores in 1900.

Dave Ronnan, co-owner of Dive 125, said a number of artefacts had been found on the site over the years, including a Wedgewood cup.

Mr Ronnan, who has dived the wreck many times himself, said: “The cup was made between 1940 and 1950.

This led us to believe that the ship was probably a casualty of the Second World War.

“We now know that the ship sank in 1903. So, how the cup got there is a mystery. It was possibly dropped from an angling or dive boat.”

The find has been reported to the Receiver of Wrecks and the site will now be given its real name.