The Blessing of Burntisland belonged to Charles I and was thought to be lost for ever when it sank almost 400 years ago but advanced tech may have pinpointed its resting place
Treasure hunters reckon they have found a 17th century Royal ship with riches worth millions off the coast of Scotland.
The Blessing of Burntisland belonged to Charles I and was thought to be lost for ever when it sank almost 400 years ago. Now thanks to advances in underwater scanning technology, experts believe they may have “located” it under the sea.
They made a breakthrough after discovering timber which they think could have come from the ship and hope they can find its booty.
The Blessing capsized and sank during a storm as it crossed the Firth of Forth from Fife to Leith during the coronation of Charles I in July 1633.
Only two of the vessel’s 35 passengers and crew survived and boffins have worked out its cargo would be worth £20million today.
The 60ft-long craft was carrying Charles I’s possessions to Edinburgh after he became King and he watched from his own ship, Dreadnought, as it went down.
He was so upset by the disaster that he rounded up and executed 19 witches in Lancashire, blaming them for invoking the storm.
Enthusiasts have been searching for the wreck for 30 years, but the murky waters of the Forth made the remains of the ship impossible to find before new advanced tech.
Searchers from the Charles Wrex Project said further checks will be needed to confirm whether the debris came from the Blessing, or one of the 500 other wrecks that lie at the bottom of the Firth of Forth.
At this stage the findings are insufficient to claim the wreck has been found but hopes were raised after a report said a wreck of the Blessing had been “located” under the sea and work to retrieve items from it was “imminent”.
But Ian Archibald, the Charles Wrex Project director and convenor of Burntisland Heritage, warned more examination has to be done to verify the find.
He said: “We may have found the site of an historic wreck but we have not yet identified it.
“Further, detailed work will have to take place to determine what – if anything – lies there.
“We have retrieved a timber sample but we do not know at this stage what ship that has come from or, indeed, if it has come from a ship. The next stage would be carbon-dating.”
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