Chesil Beach cannon facts for kids
The Chesil Beach cannon is what's left of a mysterious shipwreck found near Chesil Beach in Dorset, England. It was discovered in 2010. This special underwater site was officially protected on July 18, 2017. It is now a Protected Wreck looked after by Historic England, an organization that cares for England's historic places.
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What Are the Chesil Beach Wrecks?
The site where the cannons were found actually has two main areas. Both areas contain groups of old cannons.
The Inshore Cannon Site
The first area, closer to the shore (50°36′46″N 2°32′04″W / 50.61272°N 2.53450°W), has eight large cast-iron cannons. These cannons are English and weigh between 24 and 32 pounds. Experts believe they were made between 1650 and 1725. It's thought that these cannons were cargo on a merchant ship, meaning the ship was carrying them to sell or deliver somewhere.
The Offshore Cannon Site
Further out from the shore (50°36′39″N 2°32′04″W / 50.61086°N 2.53433°W), there's a second area with seven more cast-iron English cannons. One of these cannons has a date from the second half of the 1600s. This offshore site is believed to be a different shipwreck. Unlike the first site, these cannons might have been used as weapons on the ship itself, not just cargo. This idea comes from finding an iron cannonball inside one of the cannons, which means it was loaded and ready to fire!
How Were These Shipwrecks Found?
The Chesil Beach cannon sites were first discovered in 2010 by a group called the Shipwrecks Project. Later, in 2015, a team of underwater archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology explored the sites. They carried out many diving surveys to learn more about the wrecks.
Other Finds Nearby
Since the 1970s, other old items from similar time periods have been found close to these sites. For example, a large block of tobacco was discovered under a cannon about 500 meters northwest of the main sites. Divers have also found cannonballs, a brass tap for a barrel, and some old silver Dutch coins in the same area. These finds help archaeologists understand more about the ships and their journeys.
Whose Ships Were They?
Even with all the research, no one knows for sure which specific ships these wrecks belong to. However, there are a couple of ships that might be candidates.
The De Hoop
One possibility is a Dutch ship called De Hoop. This ship was a West Indiaman, which means it sailed to and from the West Indies. In 1749, De Hoop got stuck at Chesil Cove while sailing from Jamaica to Amsterdam. It was carrying valuable cargo like gold and silver coins, fabrics, and tobacco. Records say this ship was also armed with cannons.
The Squirrel
Another possible ship is the Squirrel. This was a cargo vessel that became stranded on Chesil Beach in 1750. It was also carrying tobacco.
While De Hoop and Squirrel are interesting ideas, they sank a bit later than when the cannons found at the sites were made. So far, there's no clear archaeological proof to say for sure if either of these ships is one of the Chesil Beach wrecks. The mystery continues!
