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30 Dollars - Elizabeth II Wreck of the 'Sea Venture'
| Issuer | Bermuda |
|---|---|
| Year | 1997 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central depiction of the wrecked sailing ship Sea Venture, the vessel of the Virginia Company that foundered off Bermuda in 1609, rendered as seen in the Bermuda coat of arms. The ship is shown partially submerged on a reef, with its hull and rigging clearly delineated in fine relief against a plain field. The legend 'BERMUDA' arcs along the upper portion of the inner rope border, which mirrors the Reuleaux-triangular form of the obverse. The composition references the heraldic tradition of the island's official arms, commemorating the historic shipwreck that gave rise to permanent settlement of Bermuda. |
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| Additional information |
The Sea Venture was the flagship of a nine-vessel relief fleet dispatched to the struggling Jamestown colony in 1609, carrying its new governor Sir Thomas Gates. She was deliberately run aground on Bermuda's reefs during a hurricane to prevent sinking, saving all 150 passengers and crew — and inadvertently founding the permanent settlement of Bermuda. The survivors spent ten months on the island building two smaller vessels from local cedar and salvaged timber before completing the voyage to Virginia.
Shakespeare drew on survivor accounts, particularly William Strachey's letter, when writing The Tempest. The wreck site was positively identified in 1958.