Weekly meeting
Tue, Apr 17th 2018 at 5:45 pm - 7:45 pm
Speaker: Ian Archibald. Welcome team: Don Allan (Room), John Ewan (Grace), Cathy Adamson (VoT). International report.
Burntisland and Kinghorn Rotarian Ian Archibald, who is a retired Cartographic Manager and Convenor of Burntisland Heritage Trust, gave the club a fascinating talk on the ongoing search for King Charles I’s lost treasure ship The Blessing, which sank in the Firth of Forth near Burntisland in 1633.
King Charles had been on a tour of Scotland following his recent coronation, and he was travelling from Burntisland to Leith when a storm suddenly blew up. His ship was undamaged, but, to the horror of all on board, the accompanying baggage ship, The Blessing, sank in the Firth with the loss of 30 of his entourage and crew. The reason for the interest today in this wreck is that it was loaded with the King’s precious possessions, and is believed to comprise a large slice of royal Stuart treasure.
Ian gave a graphic account of the recent underwater searches in the area where it is believed the ship foundered in which he has been involved, including the premature announcement in 1999 by other members of that expedition that the ship had been found.
He described the detailed technical means of finding the wreck which were being used, including mapping out of areas which are then investigated fully by divers. Rotarians were also intrigued by the contribution in the past of Jim Longton, a marine dowser.
Those leading the investigations believe that they are closer now than ever before to finding the wreck, and, in thanking Ian, President Paul Furniss expressed the Club’s admiration for the continuing enthusiasm and professionalism shown by him over many years, and wished him and his colleagues all the very best in these endeavours.
King Charles had been on a tour of Scotland following his recent coronation, and he was travelling from Burntisland to Leith when a storm suddenly blew up. His ship was undamaged, but, to the horror of all on board, the accompanying baggage ship, The Blessing, sank in the Firth with the loss of 30 of his entourage and crew. The reason for the interest today in this wreck is that it was loaded with the King’s precious possessions, and is believed to comprise a large slice of royal Stuart treasure.
Ian gave a graphic account of the recent underwater searches in the area where it is believed the ship foundered in which he has been involved, including the premature announcement in 1999 by other members of that expedition that the ship had been found.
He described the detailed technical means of finding the wreck which were being used, including mapping out of areas which are then investigated fully by divers. Rotarians were also intrigued by the contribution in the past of Jim Longton, a marine dowser.
Those leading the investigations believe that they are closer now than ever before to finding the wreck, and, in thanking Ian, President Paul Furniss expressed the Club’s admiration for the continuing enthusiasm and professionalism shown by him over many years, and wished him and his colleagues all the very best in these endeavours.
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