AN UNMARKED ANNIVERSARY.....

Of course, I may have missed it, but I saw very little yesterday to mark an event which took place 300 years ago to the day, but one which gave rise to a real sea change in maritime history. In fact, the only reference I caught was on the local regional news for the south-west of England. What was it then?

It was a shipwreck off the Isles of Scilly at about 8.00pm on 22nd October, 1707. Not just any old shipwreck, but the loss of five ships and over 2,000 lives, including Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel (pictured) when his fleet returning home from an abortive attack on Toulon fell victim to a combination of two deadly factors.

The first was the weather, which can be lethal in the western approaches as it was that fateful evening. The second was the problem of navigation at the time. Now, north-south navigation was no problem, using the stars, but east-west navigation (longitude) was very hit and miss and Shovel and his comrades were far off course when they foundered on the deadly rocks off the Scillies. This massive loss of life and ships, which included the flagship `Association` gave rise to the Longitude Act, by which a prize was offerred for the invention of a reliable instrument to provide accurate longitudinal bearings at sea in all weathers.

After years of painstaking work, the prize was won (after a lengthy stewards inquiry) by John Harrison - another story in itself. There is little doubt that the incentive to resolve the longitude problem came directly from the events of 300 years ago yesterday and led on to securing Britain`s maritime supremacy for years to come.

Harrison`s H4

As to Shovel himself, it is said that he was alive, at least barely, when he reached the Scilly shore but was murdered by a woman for the sake of his priceless emerald ring. The murder came to light many years later when the woman, on her deathbed, confessed his murder to a clergyman and produced the stolen ring which was returned to Shovel's heirs.

Now, I have always enjoyed reading the novels of Robert Goddard and it was quite by chance that I saw his latest book on the shelves of a local shop about three weeks ago. Strange to say that `Name to a Face` uses the tale of Shovel`s ring, its history since the events all those years ago and spins a fascinating yarn around the effects it had on the lives of those involved. The fiction is fascinating....but the truth is stranger still.

Such a shame that the anniversary of the events of 1707 seem to have been passed over, for they were the catalyst for a turning point in maritime history which should not be forgotten.