3515) The Atlantic Sands, United Kingdom: 1) About the Atlantic Sands a White Star Line trans-Atlantic Ocean Liner between the United Kingdom & United States: 2)The Shipwreck on its 18th voyage; 3) The Accidental Discovery Of A Lifetime: 4) Over 200-Year-Old 1300 Spanish Silver Coins salvaged from the Wreck: 5) Genuine Shipwreck effect and a Special Pedigree:
1) About the SS Atlantic Sands:
SS Atlantic was a trans-atlantic ocean liner of the White Star Line, and second ship of the Oceanic-class.
The ship operated between Liverpool, United Kingdom, and New York City, United States.
During the ship's 19th voyage, on 01.04.1873, she struck rocks and sank off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, killing at least 535 people.
It remained the deadliest civilian maritime disaster in the North Atlantic Ocean until the sinking of SS La Bourgogne on 02.07.1898 and the greatest disaster for the White Star Line prior to the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912.
Atlantic was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast in 1870, as one of the four Oceanic-class liners.
The other vessels were Republic, Oceanic and Baltic. She was the second ship of the class.
The four liners were built for the newly created Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, commonly referred to as the White Star Line.
She sailed for New York City on her maiden voyage on 08.06.1871.
For her return trip (starting on 01.07.1871) she was advertised for all classes as being "unrivalled in safety, speed and comfort".
She carried "surgeons and stewardesses".
Atlantic completed 18 crossings with no problems other than a minor incident on 23.11.1871, when she was hit by SS Alexandria.
2) The Ship-wreck on its 18th Voyage:
At 3:15 a.m. local time on 01.04.1873, the lookout spotted the white foam of breaking waves and shouted "Breakers ahead! Breakers ahead!"
The crew immediately attempted to take evasive action and place the engines into reverse.
However, these measures were too little, too late, and the Atlantic struck an underwater rock off Marr's Head, Meagher's Island (now Mars Head, Mars Island), Nova Scotia.
Atlantic rode up onto the rocky ledge at near full speed, coming to a complete stop, and was pounded on the rocks several times, shattering some iron hull plates, before slipping backward and heeling to starboard.
The ship rapidly filled with water and partially capsized, gradually settling on the shallow seabed, and heeling over to an ever-increasing angle.
All 10 lifeboats were lowered by the crew but were all washed away or smashed against rocks.
Distress rockets were fired into the air every minute, but this did not bring any results. Many of the disaster victims were trapped inside the ship as it filled with water.
Part of the ship remained above the water, where it was pounded by waves, and many of those who made their way out onto the deck clung to the ship for as long as they could, but were eventually swept away by the waves washing over it; one passenger reported seeing a mass of heads in the water so dense that he thought it was cargo floating in the sea.
Others climbed up onto the rigging and clung on as long as they could; however, most of these were overcome by exposure and eventually died there or fell into the sea.
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The wreck of the SS Atantic.
Many persons survived due to the bravery of the Third Mate, Cornelius Brady, and the quartermasters John Speakman and Edward Owens, who swam to shore with a rope and rigged up lines, via a rock to the shore.
By dawn, five such lines had been rigged, and this was responsible for saving many lives. Many of those who survived swam or climbed the ropes, first to a wave-swept rock and then to a barren shore.
By 6.00 am, Brady had made contact with the local residents of the tiny fishing villages of Lower Prospect and Terence Bay, and they sent out three boats to rescue people from the rock and those who remained clinging to the ship itself.
The rescue operation continued until midday when all still alive had been rescued.
However, at least 535 people died, leaving only 429 survivors.
The ship's manifest indicates that of the 952 aboard, 156 were women and 189 were children (including two who had been born during the voyage).
All women and children perished except for one twelve-year-old boy, John Hindley.
Ten crew members were lost, while 131 survived. This was the worst civilian loss of life in the North Atlantic until the wreck of La Bourgogne on 2 July 1898.
P. G. Wodehouse wrote a story in 1921 called "The Girl on the Boat" in which six chapters of the romance take place on a White Star liner named Atlantic, crossing from New York to Southampton.
3) The Accidental Discovery Of A Lifetime:
In 1961, astronaut Gus Grissom returned from the second NASA Mercury Redstone Mission in the Liberty Bell 7 capsule.
While Grissom’s mission was successful, when he landed in the Atlantic Ocean, the capsule door mysteriously flew open as the capsule bobbed on the ocean waves, causing it to take on water and sink into the abyss.
Flash forward to 1999, when a crew set out to find the lost capsule and stumbled upon a wooden shipwreck near it on the ocean floor, entirely by accident!
Dubbed the Atlantic Sands Shipwreck, the wooden merchant vessel was found at a depth of 3 miles, making it one of the deepest shipwrecks ever discovered.
Now, 200-year-old Spanish Coins from the infamous Atlantic Sands Shipwreck, which lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for over 175 years, were found.
4) Over 200-Year-Old Spanish Silver Coins salvaged from the Wreck:
Part of 1,300 Spanish coins recovered from the wreck, these authentic ½ Reales are over 200 years old and date from 1747 to 1808.
On board was a wooden chest containing a large pile of silver coins—Spanish Silver ½, 1, 2, and 8 Reales—more than 1,300 pieces in all with dates ranging from 1736 to 1821 meaning many of them may have circulated in the 13 colonies during the Revolutionary War.
5) Genuine Shipwreck effect and a Special Pedigree:
Early American Spanish Silver Coins
While pedigrees are seldom given to just any coin hoard, the 682 coins have been awarded the special Atlantic Sands Shipwreck pedigree.
These coins hve been surveyed and graded by the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) as exhibiting Shipwreck Effect!
Three of those silver coins struck in 81.2% to 90.3% fine silver - a Spanish Half Real dated between 1736 to 1814, a 1 Real dated from 1737 to 1804, and an 8 Reales dated from 1781to 1821 are presented here.
The coins, affected by iron oxide deposits resulting from their long exposure in salty seawater, have varying detail.
In addition to being authentic shipwreck coins, these pieces are important for their role in early America.
Spanish silver Reales played a crucial role in the early American economy, serving as a widely accepted currency during the colonial period. Their intricate designs and historical significance make them highly sought after by collectors and numismatists today.
Pedigrees are rarely slapped on any coin hoards but the Atlantic Sands Shipwreck Hoard more than warranted one.
Plus, each coin will come sealed in an acrylic holder and pedigreed as being part of the “Atlantic Sands Shipwreck,” one of the most historic shipwrecks ever recovered.
Each three-piece set will come beautifully housed in a wooden presentation case, along with a custom story card that details this amazing story, a coin magnifier, and a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
The specifications of these coins are:
Year of Issue: (Dates May Vary); Country: Spain; Metal Composition: Silver (Ag); Condition: Shipwreck; Grade: Shipwreck Effect; Denomination: 0.50, 1.00, 8.00; Currency Type: Reais, Reales; Presentation: wooden presentation case; custom story card that details this amazing story; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes.
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