Maritime puzzle solved: The astonishing ‘needle in a haystack’ discovery
After nearly 140 years lost at sea, a diver made an amazing discover of the coast of England.
A diving operating off the west coast of England has made an incredible discovery that brings to a close a maritime mystery that had gone unsolved for nearly 140 years.
In 1888 a vessel, the SS Nantes, operated by the Cunard Steamship Company, was involved in a collision with a German vessel. Those on board spent hours trying to save the ship but their efforts were unsuccessful and the ship sank, killing 23 people and leaving just three survivors.
The wreckage of that shocking incident later washed ashore in Cornwall, England and the the survivors were able to tell the tale. However because the ship had drifted for hours before finally sinking, the wreck itself was lost to the sea.
That was until a team lead by diver Dom Robinson was able to positively identify a wreck found in 2024 as the remains of the SS Nantes.
Speaking to the BBC, maritime history expert Dr Harry Bennett described the find as “the underwater archaeological equivalent of a needle in a haystack”.
He explained that researchers were able to confirm the build and the dimensions of the wreck along with the type of technology on board. However the key piece of information was more subtle: “lastly and most telling, they find a plate on the back of which is stamped Cunard - this is a Cunard ship”.
Robinson has been diving at ship wreck sites for more than 30 years and found particular resonance in this latest discovery: “This was an awful tragedy. One of the things I like to think is by solving mysteries and telling those stories I’m ensuring that those people aren’t forgotten.”
“There are very few mysteries left to explore in this world,” he continued. “As a normal human being like me, going in exploring shipwrecks and identifying shipwrecks, that is just something different to my normal life, and it’s a fantastic feeling.”
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