Rill Cove Wreck

The Rill Cove Wreck is an underwater wreck of a 16th-century Spanish cargo ship lying off the coast of Rill Cove, west of Kynance Cove, in Cornwall, England, UK.

The coast west of Kynance Cove

The remains of a cargo vessel were first found off Rill Cove, Cornwall in 1969. The site was designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act on 13 February 1976. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.[1]

This wreck has also been identified by some as the Lizard Silver Wreck, a celebrated 1619 wreck off nearby Lizard Point,[2] but this is disputed.[3]

The wreck

The site consists of iron cannon, a wrought iron swivel gun, a banded breech-loading gun, and other wreck material including over 300 sixteenth century coins. A number of these coins were of Spanish origin, stamped with Philip II or Philip III, which date from 1555-98 and 1598-1603/5 respectively. The identity of the vessel is unknown but it is believed to be a Spanish cargo vessel that foundered around 1616.[1]

Discovery and investigation

The site was discovered by divers who were investigating a nearby modern wreck in 1969. The site has been frequently visited, with further artefacts being recovered. In 2013, a desk-based assessment was undertaken which involved assessing the significance of the site.[1]

References
  1. Historic England. "Rill Cove (1000046)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  2. "The Coins of Sunken Treasure Ships: Rill Cove, wrecked Ca. 1618. Coin Details". coins.www.collectors-society.com. Collectors Society. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  3. Camidge, Kevin (23 October 2013). Rill Cove Designated Historic Wreck Site: Desk-Based Assessment (PDF). St Anthony, Rill Cove & Schiedam DBA Project Design. p. 12. The Lizard silver wreck of 1619, itself an unidentified vessel, ... even this wreck may not be the same as the Rill Cove wreck.

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