HMS Colossus sank off the Scilly Isles in December 1798 while carrying part of Sir William Hamilton's antiquities collection back to England — cargo that included Greek and Etruscan vases Hamilton had spent decades acquiring in Naples. The wreck was formally designated as a protected site under the Protection of Wrecks Act in 1975, one of the first vessels to receive that status.
Tristan da Cunha's commemorative programme has long issued crowns tied to British naval history, a logical choice for a territory whose entire existence depends on maritime connection to the outside world.
HMS Colossus sank off the Scilly Isles in December 1798 while carrying part of Sir William Hamilton's antiquities collection back to England — cargo that included Greek and Etruscan vases Hamilton had spent decades acquiring in Naples. The wreck was formally designated as a protected site under the Protection of Wrecks Act in 1975, one of the first vessels to receive that status.
Tristan da Cunha's commemorative programme has long issued crowns tied to British naval history, a logical choice for a territory whose entire existence depends on maritime connection to the outside world.