Douro shipwreck


wreck of the douro presentation display case for rescued gold coin

Click Image above to see certificate of Authenticity.

CERTIFIED BY RENOWNED HISTORIAN, NIGEL PICKFORD

Nigel Pickford is the world’s leading authority on shipwreck research. He, and his father Thomas Pickford before him, have carried out continuous research during the last fifty years, which has resulted in the location and salvage of over 80 high value sunken cargoes, worth well in excess of £100 million – returning to owners and governments valuable property which would otherwise have remained lost.

What you get:

One gold sovereign, bearing the young head of Queen Victoria, in a presentation box.

FREE 13 minute video telling the entire DOURO story.

One numbered, hologrammed Certificate, signed by Nigel Pickford.

Check out the Authentication Certificate by clicking the image opposite.

There are now only 3 COIN-DATE options to choose from

* 1856
* 1857
* 1868

For a CLOSE UP LOOK Click here DOURO COIN (animation takes a few seconds to load).

Sovereign weight 8g.

Sovereign diameter 22mm.

Here is a chance to Collect authenticated and certificated sea salvage sovereigns, a real slice of nautical history. They’re from the wreck of RMS DOURO, sunk in 1882 and salvaged in 1995.

History:

It was the evening of April 1st 1882. The Douro had left Lisbon the previous day, on the final leg of its journey from Brazil to England. It was a clear night with a bright moon. As usual the champagne had been flowing freely, and after an evening of fun and enjoyment, the passengers were retiring to their cabins. The ship was a couple of hours behind schedule, but Captain Kemp was confident of making up the lost time.There was a stiff breeze blowing from the south-west and he ordered the auxiliary sail to be set to give an extra knot or two of speed. At ten-thirty pm, Mr Charles Stoher, a wealthy merchant from Manchester, England, decided to take a stroll on the deck before bed. He had joined the ship at Rio de Janeiro on the final stage of a round the world trip.

Looking out to sea, he spotted a light on the Douro’s starboard bow. Minutes later the Yrurac Bat, a Spanish steamer on route from Corunna in Spain to Cuba, ploughed into the side of the Douro in the area of the main mast. The passengers, most of whom had been asleep in their bunks, ran this way and that, not knowing which lifeboat station to report to. The crew struggled for some time to lower a lifeboat which had jammed. In spite of the confusion all around them, the Douro’s officers behaved with exemplary discipline and courage.

The rule of `women and children first’ was strictly adhered to, and of those who drowned, the only woman amongst them was Lady Beecher’s maid who, in a state of hysterical panic, refused to get into the lifeboat. Five male passengers also drowned. Seven of the ship’s crew, the Captain, four of the Senior Officers and the 1st and 2nd Engineer went down with the ship, which sank quickly within thirty minutes of the impact.The Yrurac Bat also sank rapidly, with heavy loss of life, bringing the death toll to 59. Fortunately for those passengers and crew from both ships that had managed to get safely into lifeboats, a third steamer, the Hidalgo from Hull, had witnessed the collision and was standing by to lend assistance. The Hidalgo took the survivors into the Northern Spanish port of Corunna before continuing with its voyage.

A Court of Enquiry was held by the Board of Trade which found the Douro entirely responsible for the collision. This was of little comfort to bereaved relatives but gradually the memory of the Douro faded. It was almost exactly one hundred years later that I came across a cryptic note written by my father which prompted me to set about researching the Douro.