| More information : This site is currently interpreted as that of the ASSURANCE and the POMONE. The interpretation of artefacts is, however, not a simple matter, with one other known wreck on the same site and the possibility of a fourth of Roman origin. There is good documentary evidence for this site to be that of the ASSURANCE and the POMONE, but still no definitive physical evidence that might finally identify the wrecks.
DESIGNATED WRECK SITE - ASSURANCE/POMONE
Summary:
Wreck site of an 18th century and a 19th century warship, possibly the ASSURANCE, lost 1753, Fifth Rate Ship of the Line, and the POMONE, a 38-gun Fifth Rate, lost in 1811.
Designation History:
Statutory Instrument: 11 April, 1974; 1974 No. 5; 1974/457
Protected area: Within 75m radius of position 50 39' 42"N, 01 35' 27"W (1)
200 metres radius, with restrictions on an area within 75m radius, excluding any part of the area which lies above the high water mark of ordinary spring tides, centred on 50 39.70N 001 35.45W. (18)
The 1998 re-designation split the ASSURANCE and POMONE, with the ASSURANCE at 50 39.70N 001 35.45W. (18)
Visit by Government Diving Contractor:
St Andrews University - Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU) April 1986 - April 2003
1987, 1994, 1998
Wessex Archaeology 1st May 2003 -
Wreck Site and Archaeological Remains:
The site area lies between Goose Rock and the westernmost Needle between rocky outcrops and gullies. No structural part of the wreck is known to survive. A number of cannon and other various items of ordnance together with many smaller artefacts lie on a seabed of silt and chalk bedrock. These are now thought to have come from the ASSURANCE and at least one other wreck, the POMONE. By 1982 a total of eight guns had been raised and conserved or are in storage awaiting conservation by the City of Portsmouth Museum Conservation Department. Three of these are thought to have come from the ASSURANCE. A number of Roman coins have also been discovered, suggesting the possibility that this is also the wreck site of a Roman vessel. Other finds include buckles, buttons, pins, bottles, parts of scientific and musical instruments and items of ship's fittings. [Information prior to receiving designation information correct as at June 2005]
The site lies on an exposed and heavily eroded wave-cut platform, in an average depth of 5 metres. Inspections of the site have revealed the erosion of artefacts and several cannon balls are now loosened in their scour pits within chalk gullies. Sediment in the vicinity is highly mobile and the level of sediment may change erratically. (18)
The finds assemblages include a scatter of musket shot, copper alloy nails, concretions, iron cannon, blue glass fragments, a wooden broom handle, and iron shot. Approximately 36 3rd century Roman coins have also been raised from this site. Artefacts are in the care of the Isle of Wight County Archaeology Collection, while other finds from earlier excavations are stored in the City of Portsmouth Museum Conservation Department. (18)
A hoard of silver coins totalling £6 19s 4.5d, mostly Jamaican reales of various denominations, mainly 0.5, a and 2 reales, and consistent with those in use in the 1750s, were found, some of which were apparently "clipped". (20)
Commander John Bingeman and members of the Portsmouth Royal Naval Sub-Aqua Club identified 4 guns from Assurance to the north, three are over the drop off, in 1979 Number 13 had not yet been found.
''The 44 gun Assurance was a two decker built locally on the river Hamble by the Richard Heather Yard at Bursledon and launched in 1747. Over the years, the dive club recovered 8 guns. Three carronades and a 9 pounder from Assurance were taken to the City of Portsmouth Museums Conservation Laboratory in Old Portsmouth for conservation by Chris O'Shea. When the tampion was removed, the contents consisted of two wads, a solid 32lb shot, a third wad, and powder in a flannel bag. Examining the three carronades after conservation, the clearest marking was on Number 6 gun: "32 pounder, Clyde standing for the Clyde Iron Company (a Clyde director was also a director of the Carron Company), 1803, No 1696". On the quoin pad of a second carronade was: "H & Co" standing for James Henchell & Company a gun founder at Wandsworth, London.' (20)
A cannon was located by Mr Derek Williams on the 14 June 1969. (2)(18) He became the first licensee when the site was designated in 1975, and transferred his licence to the Isle of Wight Archaeological Committee, a registered charity. (20)
1978: Surveyed by Portsmouth Sub-Aqua Club, with three guns identified as being from the ASSURANCE. Three carronades and a 9 pounder from that ship were taken to the City of Portsmouth Museums Conservation Laboratory. (20)
Visited by the Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU) 1987, 1994, 1998 (18)
2004: A topographical survey of the site was undertaken. (18)
A diver trail of the Needles and Alum Bay wrecks was launched by Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology in 2005. It closed in 2007. Sponsored by English Heritage (now Historic England). (18)(19)(21)
Commander John Bingeman, Royal Navy Diver, and his team spent nine years excavating the site of HMS ASSURANCE/ POMONE, successfully recovering 3,471 artefacts, such as rigging blocks, gunlocks, military buttons and ship’s chain pumps. (22)
Wreck Event and Documentary Evidence:
The ASSURANCE, a British Fifth Rate Ship of the Line was built in 1747 at the Richard Heather Yard, Bursledon and launched on the 26th September of that year. She displaced 823 tons and was 133 feet long. (5)
'The ASSURANCE Man of War, Captain Scroope, from Jamaica, last from Lisbon, is ashore on the Shingles near the Isle of Wight, with seven feet water in her hold, and in danger of being lost. She is very rich.' (6)
'Thursday April 26. Yesterday came advice that his Majesty's ship the ASSURANCE, from Jamaica, last from Lisbon, was ashore on the Needles, with seven feet water in her hold; and all her masts were cut away, and 'tis feared she will be lost. We hear that Governor Trelawny and his lady, from Jamaica, were on board, and happily got safe ashore.' (9)
She carried a complement of 280 men. Her armament was 6, 9 and 18 pounder cannon. Under Captain Scrope she ran onto Goose Rock off the Needle Point on the 24th April 1753, where she perched for a couple of hours enabling the crew and passengers, including Governor Trelawny of Jamaica and his wife, to get ashore by boat. (2)
823 tons.
Arriving off the Isle of Wight, bound for Spithead, Captain Scrope decided to take the western passage and proceed up the Solent. The pilot steered the ship very close to the Needles rocks, and when passing about a cable's length from them, struck a submerged rock, which pierced the hull, rapidly filling the ship with water. The captain, his crew and the passengers were all saved, together with the sum of nearly sixty thousand pounds in specie brought home in the ship; one bag only, containing nearly five hundred pounds, being lost: that was believed to have been stolen out of a boat. The pilot, David Patterson, was blamed, and in his defence pleaded that the ship had struck a rock which was uncharted. He called local Isle of Wight pilots to back his claim, which they did - but also said that they would not have taken the ship so close to the Needles, which rather negated his argument. Patterson was sentenced to serve three months in the Marshalsea Prison. (8)
Two-decked 44-gun 5th rate of the 1745 Establishment, 133 x 109 x 38 x 16ft, 814 tons. (11)
'London, April 28. Yesterday's letters from Cowes advise, that the captain and people of the ASSURANCE man of war, lately ran ashore at the Needles, are saved, and the ship since bulged. Governor Trelawney and his lady were passengers, and got safe to shore at Yarmouth. It's added that all the money on board, amounting to near 60,000l, were [sic] saved, except two bags of dollars, to the value of about 480l sterling, which were in the boat, and supposed to be stolen.' (12)
'London, May 15. On Thursday last a court-martial was held on board the TYGER man of war in Portsmouth Harbour to enquire into the loss of His Majesty's ship the ASSURANCE, bound for [sic] Jamaica, but last from Lisbon, which was lately stranded on the Needles. On Saturday they finished their examination, and the court proceeded to pass sentence on the master, under whose charge the ship was, as follows, viz. to be imprisoned three months in the Marshalsea; but was neither broke nor mulcted, it appearing on the evidence of a pilot, that the shoal was drove up by the violence of the sea about 3 months since.' (13)
'London, May 24. Tuesday was held a Board of Admiralty...That day their lordships took into consideration the losses sustained by the poor seamen of the ASSURANCE man of war, lately lost on the Needles, and ordered to be paid their wages forthwith at Portsmouth, and 20s each man extraordinary, and gave them three months' liberty to visit their friends.' (14)
A fifth rate vessel of 44 guns. She was en route from Jamaica when she stranded on Goose Rock off Needle point on 24-APR-1753. The remains of the DREAM lie entangled with the protected wreck ASSURANCE. (15)(16)(17)
Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology 10th Annual Public Lecture, delivered by Mr John Bingeman, 2001. On the 24th April 1753 Edward Trelawny, just retired after 16 years as Governor of Jamaica, was on his way home onboard the Assurance with his wife, when he spoken ‘rather unwisely’ to the Master, David Patterson. Charnock, an eighteenth century naval historian, reports the conversation:
"He asked a question, suggested by mere curiosity, what depth of water there were around it and how near the ship would pass to that part of the rock appearing above the water. Patterson answered, they should pass so close that the fly of the ensign might touch the rock."
The transcript of the Court Martial, held in the Public Records Office, Kew, states that the ASSURANCE struck an uncharted rock approximately half a mile off the Needles, and became a total loss. The ship's captain, Carr Scrope, was acquitted, but Patterson, responsible for the ship's navigation, was held responsible. His sentence was mitigated in view of the "obscurity of the rock", and spent 3 months in Marshalsea, the debtor's prison in London.
The Admiralty was sufficiently concerned to order a survey of the Needles Channel, which found no such rock. It was suggested that the Channel was "at least one mile and [a] half broad", and that the warship must have "struck first upon the Shoal". (20)
'Gosport, May 13. On Friday Morning the Court Martial was held on Mr. Patterson, Master of his Majesty's Ship Assurance; he cleared the Captain and other Officers by taking the Whole on himself; he acknowledged the Captain offered him a Pilot, but he thought there was no Occasion for one, and he said he took Charge of the Ship with great Chearfulness [sic], not doubting but he should have carried her safe through the Needles. Three Persons, who had been Pilots for the Isle of Wight, &c. many Years, were examined, who swore that they never knew there was a Rock where she was wreck'd; and one of them swore, that at the Time she struck there was a Counter-Tide set in very strong, which might have decieved any Person: On the Whole, after two Hours Deliberation, the Court sentenced him to be imprisoned in the Marshalsea three Months.' (23)
Built: 1747 (5)(7)(8)(11)
Builder: Richard Heather (5)(11)
Where Built: Bursledon (5)(7)(8)(11)
Armament: 44 guns (5)(7)(8)(11): Gun deck 20 x 18pdr; upper deck 20 x 9pdr; quarter-deck 4 x 6pdr (11)
Commanding Officer: Capt. Carr Scrope (2)(8); Scroope (6)
Master: David Patterson (20)
Crew: Normal complement 280 (2)(11)
Passengers: at least 2 (2)(9)(12)
Owner: Royal Navy (all sources)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss
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