Sea Venture facts for kids
Artist's interpretation of Sea Venture on a Bermuda stamp, 1910
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sea Venture, Sea Adventure, Seaventure, Sea-Vulture |
| Owner | Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex |
| Launched | probably 1603 |
| Fate | Wrecked |
| __1B0X_5H1P__ | career |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | galleon |
| Tonnage | 300 tons |
| Armament |
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| __1B0X_5H1P__ | characteristics |
The Sea Venture was a famous English sailing ship from the 1600s. It was the main ship of a large fleet heading to the Jamestown Colony in 1609. This journey was part of the "Third Supply" mission, bringing important supplies and new settlers to Virginia. During its trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the Sea Venture was caught in a terrible tropical storm. The ship was wrecked, but its crew and passengers safely landed on the uninhabited Bermuda islands. Many people believe that the story of the Sea Venture's shipwreck inspired William Shakespeare's famous play, The Tempest.
Contents
The Journey to Jamestown
In 1607, a group of English settlers started the Jamestown colony in Virginia. Over the next two years, more supplies and people arrived. However, the colony faced many challenges, including hunger and illness. The ships used for these early trips were not always the best for carrying many passengers across the ocean.
A Big Plan for Help
The people who invested in the London Company, which ran Jamestown, wanted the colony to succeed. They hoped to find valuable resources. To help the struggling colony, they planned a much larger mission. This was called the Third Supply. They built a new, strong flagship for this mission, the Sea Venture. They put the experienced Captain Christopher Newport in charge.
Building the Sea Venture
The Sea Venture was likely built around 1603. It was a modern ship for its time, designed with the latest shipbuilding techniques of the early 17th century. Even though it was well-built, a small flaw would later cause big problems during a storm.
The Great Storm and Shipwreck
On June 12, 1609, the Sea Venture left Plymouth, England. It led a fleet of seven ships, carrying hundreds of settlers to Jamestown. The ships usually sailed south to catch favorable winds. But this fleet sailed north to avoid Spanish ships in the West Indies.
Battling the Hurricane
Days away from Jamestown, on July 24, the fleet sailed into a powerful tropical storm, probably a hurricane. The ships were separated. The Sea Venture fought the storm for three days. Passengers saw strange lights, called St. Elmo's fire, on the ship's masts.
The new ship had a problem: its wooden planks had not fully settled. The oakum (a material used to seal gaps) was forced out, and water rushed into the ship. Everyone worked hard to bail out the water. They even threw some cannons overboard to make the ship lighter. Admiral George Somers steered the ship through the storm.
Finding Safety in Bermuda
On August 3, 1609, after days of fighting the storm, Admiral Somers spotted land. The ship was full of water, and everyone was exhausted. The only option was to try and steer through the reefs. The Sea Venture became stuck in a V-shaped gap in the reefs, about half a mile from shore.
The worst of the storm passed, allowing the 140 men and 10 women, plus one dog, to safely reach shore in boats. They landed at Gates' Bay on St. George's Island. Among the survivors were important leaders like Sir Thomas Gates, Captain Christopher Newport, and John Rolfe.
Life on Bermuda and New Ships
The survivors spent about nine months on Bermuda. Some of them found the islands pleasant and wanted to stay. However, Governor Gates insisted they must continue to Virginia.
Building Deliverance and Patience
During their time on Bermuda, the survivors built two new ships. These were called the Deliverance and the Patience. They used strong local Bermuda cedar wood, which was excellent for shipbuilding. They also used parts salvaged from the wrecked Sea Venture. Admiral Somers and James Davis guided the construction of these new ships.
The original plan was to build only one ship, the Deliverance. But they soon realized it wouldn't be big enough to carry everyone and all the food they had gathered. So, they built the Patience as well.
Reaching Jamestown Again
After the ships were ready, a small boat from the Sea Venture was sent to find Virginia, but it was never seen again. Finally, on May 10, 1610, the Deliverance and Patience set sail for Virginia with 142 survivors. They arrived at Jamestown on May 23. Two sailors chose to stay behind on Smith's Island in Bermuda.
When they reached Jamestown, they found only 60 survivors from the hundreds who had been there before. Many were very ill. The situation was so bad that everyone decided to leave Jamestown and sail back to England. However, another relief fleet, led by Governor Baron De La Warre, arrived just in time. He convinced the settlers to return to the colony.
Admiral Somers later went back to Bermuda in the Patience to get more food. Sadly, he passed away in Bermuda. His nephew sailed the Patience back to England. The two sailors who had stayed behind in Bermuda, Christopher Carter and Edward Waters, became some of the first permanent settlers of the islands.
What Happened Next
The remains of the Sea Venture stayed on the reefs off Gate's Bay for a long time. People salvaged useful parts from it. Eventually, the rest of the ship sank beneath the waves. Two of its cannons were recovered in 1612 and used to fortify Bermuda.
The exact location of the wreck was lost until divers rediscovered it in 1958. There wasn't much left of the ship or its cargo. However, it was identified in 1959, just in time for the 350th anniversary of the shipwreck. Later searches found a cannon, cannonballs, and some pottery.
For many years, a replica of the Deliverance was displayed on Ordnance Island in Bermuda. After decades of storms, the replica was too damaged to repair and was taken down in 2022. In 2015, the actual remains of the Sea Venture's hull were covered with sandbags to protect them from wood-eating worms.
Sea Venture's Legacy
The story of the Sea Venture's shipwreck is very famous.
- Many people believe it inspired William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Shakespeare likely read accounts from survivors like Silvester Jourdain and William Strachey.
- The author Washington Irving wrote about the "Three Kings Of Bermuda & Their Treasure Of Ambergris" in 1840.
- Novelist F. Van Wyck Mason wrote a fictional story about the wreck called The Sea 'Venture in 1961.
- 20th-century American author Scott O'Dell wrote a fictional story about the shipwreck called The Serpent Never Sleeps.
- Children's author Clyde Robert Bulla wrote A Lion to Guard Us. It tells the story of three children sailing to Jamestown to find their father.
- The Sea Venture also gave its name to a cruise liner in the 1970s. This ship later became the Pacific Princess, famous from the TV show The Love Boat.
Images for kids
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Wreck of the Sea Venture
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Plaque at Gates Bay, marking the landing site
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Map showing the approximate location of the Sea Venture wreck
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Sylvester Jordain's A Discovery of the Barmudas, 1610
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Captain John Smith's 1624 map of Bermuda
See also
- Colony and Dominion of Virginia
- History of Bermuda
- History of Virginia
- Jamestown supply missions § Third supply mission
- Somers Isles Company
- Virginia Company
