Diver Recovers 17th-Century Treasure from Phoenix Shipwreck Near Isles of Scilly

Todd Stevens, a scuba diver and writer, recently uncovered the wreck of the British ship Phoenix, which sank off the coast of Cornwall in 1680. His adventure began after he found an old map at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich that indicated “Cap Wildy lost” near Samson Island. While diving in the challenging Western Rocks at depths between 15 and 130 feet, he identified the ship by its unique ballast made of broken cannon parts. He brought back coins, jewelry, sword pieces, navigational instruments, and personal items, which he donated to the Isles of Scilly Museum. The Phoenix, a 46-gun ship built for the East India Company, sank on January 11, 1680, during a storm. Curator Xavier Duffy noted how incredible it is that these artifacts have remained on the seabed for almost 350 years. The Isles of Scilly have seen about 1,000 shipwrecks, including the HMS Association in 1707 and HMS Colossus in 1798.