Sea Venture. An interim report on an early 17th century shipwreck lost in 1609

Introduction By 1609 King James had occupied the thrones of England and Scotland for six years, and in the two preceding years two expeditions had left England with settlers and supplies for the infant colony at Jamestown, Virginia. The third supply, comprising 600 colonists in seven shps and two pinnaces, and led by the flagship Sea Venture, or Sea Adventure as she is called in some contemporary accounts (Brown, 1898: 92) set out from Plymouth, Devon on 2nd June (Strachey , 16 1 0). Six weeks later, on 23rd July, a great storm arose, scattering the ships amidst the howling winds and tremendous seas of a hurricane. Sea Venture, separated from the rest of the fleet, found herself in a perilous situation, having ‘received likewise a mighty leake’ (Strachey, 1610). After four days and nights of continual bailing and pumping, the ship’s company was completely exhausted and had abandoned hope. However, Sir George Somers, who held the title of admiral of the flotilla, had remained alert and watchful throughout this ordeal. He noticed land ahead when hope was almost lost. The s h p , now in a foundering condition and ‘in every joynt almost, having spued out her Okam, before we were aware, was growne five feet suddenly deepe with water above her ballast’ (Strachey, 1610), was headed in and driven aground, where she lodged firmly between two reefs, unable to capsize or sink. Boats were lowered and the 150 passengers and crew landed on Bermuda, a place known as ‘The Isle of Devils’ and feared by seamen of all nationalities (Fig. 1). In his letter of 20th June 1610 to the Earl of Salisbury, Sir George Somers gives 28th July as the date of the landing (Brown, 1890: 401). In the months that followed the s h p was stripped of as much useful material as could be salvaged, and two smaller vessels, Patience and Deliverance, were built, enabling the survivors to continue on to Jamestown, where they arrived on 24th May 1610. Not all the original survivors went on to Virginia. Two men remained in Bermuda-later joined by a third, after Sir George Somers had returned inpatience to fetch supplies for ‘the languishinge Virginia colony’ (Lefroy, 1882: 15). These three remained alone on the island until they were joined by 60 settlers, under the leadership of Governor Moore in 1612. At that point, Bermuda was established as an English colony.