Scilly, Diving the Wrecks |
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In October, 1707, one of the greatest disasters in British Royal Navy History occurred amongst the Western Rocks of the Isles of Scilly. This involved the loss of Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovell and four of his ships including 1,500 officers and men.
Right: Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovell The remains of three of these shipwrecks have been found and reveal a large number of cannons, anchors and artifacts. These Shipwrecks are: The ‘Association’, a 90 gun 2nd Rate Ship, wrecked on the Gilstone Rock, found by the Royal Navy in 1967 and a source of treasure when excavated by Roland Morris and his team in the 1960’s and 70’s.
The ‘Eagle’, a 72 gun 3rd Rate ship situated in a depth of 10 to 35 metres on Tearing Ledge not far from the Bishop Rock. This wreck site has been designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act. The ‘Firebrand’, an 8 gun Fire ship situated in Smith Sound adjacent to St. Agnes. In 1798 British Royal Naval Second Rate HMS Colossus was wrecked in south westerly gale in shallow water at Southward Wells near Sampson.
Homeward bound with a valuable collection of `Etruscan Vases` and valuable artifacts the private collection of Sir William Hamilton an intimate friend of Admiral Nelson. Her remains were discovered in 1974 by divers from the Roland Morris team and the wreck was designated as a protected wreck but after several years of excavation the site was de-scheduled. In 1999 another large section of the hull and 5 large guns were found some distance away from the earlier site by visiting divers from a dive charter boat. The site was immediately re-designated a protected wreck by the British government. The 5 large 18 pound cannon were found sticking almost upright from their respective gun ports and a remarkable stern carving of a figure 3.5metres long was also revealed. The protected site with its exposed timbers and hull structure make it a fascinating and enjoyable dive in around 11 to 17 metres, depending on the tide.
TO BE CONTINUED
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