| More information : Wreck Site and Archaeological Remains:
The site was originally designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 but was eventually de-designated in 1984.
Designated: 12-May-1975
Statutory Instrument: 1975/726
Order Number: 1975 No 2
De-designated: 1984
The vessel carried a valuable collection of Sir William Hamilton's Etruscan pottery (second collection) which was lost in the wreck. A large quantity of ceramic fragments were recovered as part of a project funded by the British Museum. Cannon have also been recovered and can be seen on the Garrison Walk and embedded in the quay at St. Mary's as bollards. There are an estimated dozen or more 32 pounder iron guns dumped inside the structure of the quay itself, which were seen during repairs in the 1970s.
Her stern board with the Royal crown on it was for many years part of the gallery of the old Tresco church. A stone mortar and a quoin found in the Woolpack Battery on St. Mary's, presumed to have come from the wreck, are in the Valhalla collection. Other finds included sounding leads, pulley wheels, musket stocks, nails and cannon balls. The British Museum funded a recovery of the pottery sherds through the salvor, Roland Morris of Penzance. A collection of many thousands of sherds is held by the BM, who invested some £40,000 in the project. (10)
The remains of the vessel were found by Mark Horobin and Slim Macdonnel on 08-AUG-1974. Both divers were working for Roland Morris. There is reported to be very little left of the site. (11)
A summary account by Slim Macdonnell, one of the divers on the excavation of this site, covering the retrieval of some 28000 sherds of pottery. (12)
The Hamilton collection of pottery, recovered from HMS COLOSSUS in a six year operation by Roland Morris, is being put up for private tender through Christie's by the Receiver of Wreck. (13)
The discovery of bow anchors, bottle pins and copper hull rivets along with bricks from the galley with the discovery of rudder pintles which marked the stern led Rowland Morris to deduce the right area for excavating the pottery. Some of the artefacts are in the Penzance Maritime Museum. (15)
Film "Colossus", transmitted on BBC2 , Part 1 26 June, Part 2 27 June 1978 (Part 1 originally shown November 1975).
A brass ring and a copper ring recovered from the COLOSSUS and/or the BRINKBURN, but not specified which belongs to which. (Droit A/2624) (17)
A quantity of musket shot and a pulley centre recovered from this wreck, Isles of Scilly. (Droit A/3248) (17)
A handle from a 3rd-4th century Greek vase recovered from this wreck (Isles of Scilly Museum). (Droit A/3985) (17)
12 pistol shot, 12 hull pins, 11 musket balls, a cannon gun apron, 2 cannonballs, a spun yarn plug, 2 fragments of hull sheathing, a "kettle" lifting eye/sideplate, and a lead bar recovered from this wreck, Isles of Scilly. (Droit A/4470) (17)
A small sheave [lignum vitae] and a shard of black Athenian pottery 70 x 70mm recovered from the bow section of the COLOSSUS, found at low tide near the Hulman, in the rocky area between the galley and Emma's Gully, between Tresco and Samson Islands. The shard has been identified as part of a volute crater vase and can only have originated from the COLOSSUS. (Droit 162/05) (18)
Droit 047/06 - A brass object – worn 10†long with barely twisted end used for cleaning out touch holes of the guns, raised from the COLOSSUS in ‘Emma’s Gully’. (19)
Droit 147/06 - A bronze object, function unknown, and the remains of a flintlock pistol, recovered from the COLOSSUS in Emma's Gulley while metal detecting for anomalies in the sand. (19)
Droit 356/07 - 5 shards of Greek pottery; two ragged copper nails, 12 inches; 4 roved copper fastenings of various sizes; a wooden bandolier; a lignum vitae mallet head; a lignum vitae caulking tool, and a u-shaped cast bronze fitting, original use unknown, recovered from the COLOSSUS bow site. (20)
Droit 468/09 - A large shard of Greek pottery, believed to be part of the rim of a volute crater; a small shard of black basalt ware; and 6 lead sash weights said to have the broad arrow mark recovered from the COLOSSUS although which COLOSSUS site remains unspecified. (21)
Remains of a large wooden dead-eye, recovered from the wreck of the COLOSSUS. The Droit does not specify which COLOSSUS site. (Droit 290/11) (22)
Two bronze rudder pintle pins, an iron cannon, a cannon ball, a carpenters rule, two sheaves, a large copper fastening, musket and cannon vent cleaners, coins, handles, pieces of glass, pistol mounts, a sword hilt, toothbrushes, a gold watch case, buttons, copper nails, a bronze hinge, a pistol, bronze fastenings, washers and screws, lead sounding weights, three lignum rigging sheaves, and other items recovered from the wreck of the COLOSSUS were sold at auction in 2002. (23)
Wreck Event and Documentary Evidence:
Primary Sources:
'London, Friday, December 7. Extract of a letter from Lisbon, dated Nov. 24, 1798. - "The COLOSSUS man of war is arrived in a short passage from Malta, which island at the time of her departure was blockaded by the united squadrons of England and Portugal. The Captain (G. Murray, Esq.) brings interesting intelligence . . . ' (25)
'The COLOSSUS man of war, of 74 guns, from Lisbon, parted her cables at St. Mary's, Scilly, the 10th instant, drove on the rocks, and is lost. All the people saved.' (2)
'London, Dec. 19. It is with great concern we learn the loss of His Majesty's Ship COLOSSUS, of 74 guns, Capt. George Murray, in St. Mary's Roads, Scilly, on Monday the 10th inst. All the brave crew were saved excepting one quarter-master, who fell overboard in heaving the lead.' (16)
'Extract of a letter from Scilly, dated Dec. 15. It is with much concern I acquaint you with the loss of the COLOSSUS man of war . . .
'LOSS OF THE COLOSSUS. The COLOSSUS Man of War, of 74 guns, Captain G Murray, was wrecked on the night of Monday the 10th instant, in St. Mary's Road, Scilly.
- On Friday the 7th inst., the above ship came in with a direct contrary wind, having under her convoy eight vessels from Lisbon, that arrived at the same time, the rest of the fleet having parted two days before for Ireland, and the northern ports: in the evening, the wind having increased to a gale, her cable parted, and all attempts to secure the ship with others failing, she drifted onto a ledge of rocks, called Southern Wells [sic], near the island of Sampson [sic], from 18 to 24ft under water, all the convoy riding in safety then and since, notwithstanding the wind had risen to a perfect tempest. Most fortunately not a life was lost, save Quarter-Master Richard King, who dropped overboard in the act of sounding. The islanders, at very great risk, exerted themselves to the utmost, in cutters and open boats, and by Tuesday evening every person had been taken out and safely landed, the sick and wounded first, whereof many were from the Battle of the Nile, the most worthy captain, and most to be commiserated, remaining until the very last. The following night the ship fell on her starboard beam ends; and so violent was the persevering gale, that no craft could attempt to approach the ship, and at present little prospect offers of any of the stores, property, or even the officers' baggage, being saved, or hereafter recovered, to any extent. The ship is said to have been distressed, in order to supply other vessels of His Majesty's fleet, and also to have been in a bad state before, and worse since she left Lisbon. The mainmast and the bowsprit are already gone over the side. Passengers, Captain Peyton, of the DEFENCE, at the battle of the Nile, with Captain Draper, and two officers from other ships; also a Mr Harcourt and servants, with the remains of the late Admiral Lord Shuldam, intended to have been deposited under British turf.
'The COLOSSUS was not one of the fleet in the battle off Aboukir. She belonged to the Cadiz division, and came last from Lisbon. She was one of the finest seventy-fours in the service, and a prime sailer.' (16)
Secondary Sources:
Given in a list of wrecks off Cornwall as 09-DEC-1798. (6)
Ship of the LEVIATHAN class of 1779, built to the lines of the French COURAGEUX. Dimensions 172 x 140 x 48 x 21 feet, 1703 tons builders' measurement, normal crew complement 600 to 640. (7)
Returning to England from the Mediterranean, she arrived off the Scilly Isles on 7th December and anchored off St. Mary's. During 10 December the wind steadily increased until it was blowing a full gale. Topgallant-masts were struck and spare anchors provided and she rode safely until at 4 o'clock in the afternoon the anchor cable parted. The small bower was let go and brought her up after she had drifted a little way. Captain Murray became worried at the position of the ship, and planned to set sail, but the pilot doubted if they could weather the rocks, so they prepared to ride out the storm. The sheet anchor was let go, topmasts struck and yards trimmed, but she soon found that she was dragging her anchors. At about 6 o'clock she struck the ground, although quite gently at first. Thoughts of lightening the ship had to be abandoned because of the shoal of water surrounding them, it being feared that if the guns were heaved overboard, the ship would strike them. They hauled taut the anchor cable, which initially freed them, but dragging in the ebbing tide she struck the ground again, this time very hard. Pumps were manned, but the water gained, and by midnight the rudder had come away with the constant pounding on the ledge of rocks near the island of Sampson, called the Southern Wells. By daybreak the water was up to the sills of the upper deck ports and the ship was beginning to break up. Local boats attended them to take off the crew, which was accomplished by 3pm that afternoon, only one man drowning. (8)
'... and on 29 December, the FEARLESS gun brig, Lt. John Manderson, sailed from Dock with two naval transports for the Scillies to bring away the stores that had been salvaged from the wreck.
'On 29 December, the remains of Admiral Lord Shuldam, brought over in the COLOSSUS, lately lost in St. Mary's Road, Scilly, being rescued from the wreck, after remaining for some time in the Citadel at St. Mary's, were interred on 9 January 1799 in Wyredsbury [Wyardisbury] church-yard, Buckinghamshire.' [Naval Chronicle, Vol.1] (9)
The COLOSSUS formed part of a fleet of 9 ships, including 8 merchantmen, sailing from Naples via Lisbon. She had left Lisbon on 25-NOV-1798 in a bad state of repair and had given her spare anchor to Lord Nelson. Running into bad weather, she anchored in St. Mary's Roads to ride out the storm. On the 10th a gale occurred, she dragged her anchor, fell over on her beam and was lost on Southward Well Ledge.
By 15-DEC the main mast and bowsprit had gone over the side and on 29-DEC the FEARLESS, a gun brig, sailed with two transports to the Scillies to take away the salvaged stores. (11)
Built: 1787 (1)(3)(7)(8)(10)
Builder: Cleveley (1)(3)(10); Cleverley (7)
Where Built: Gravesend (1)(3)(7)(8)(10)
Armament: 74 guns (1)(3)(7)(8)(10) - 28 x 32pdr; 28 x 18pdr; 18 x 9pdr
Commanding Officer: George Murray (1)(3)(7)(8)(10)
Crew: normal complement 600 to 640 (7)
Crew Lost: 1 (1)(7)(8)(10)
Owner: Royal Navy (1)(7)(8)(10)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss
Addtional sources:
Naval Chronicle Volume 1, p86
Sept 1978, Special Edition Illustrated London News.
Christie's Sale Catalogue April 1980
BBC Radio programme "Origins"
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