Greetings. One of my designated duties as a Director of the 1715 Fleet Society is managing website content. Over the last nine years since our website was launched, I have attempted to provide interesting subject matter for our Fleet Society members and website visitors. For instance, we have regular features like our Treasure of the Month and “This Day in Fleet History” which, according to our analytics, are very popular. In that regard, we continue to search for material that will not only be entertaining but also educational.
I am happy to announce that we will be launching another regular feature due to the generosity of former Director (now Director Emeritus) Ernie Richards.
Those of you who have been fascinated by the romance, history, and treasure of the 1715 Fleet remember Ernie’s popular newsletter “Plus Ultra.” Starting with its first issue in 1983 and concluding in 2016 this newsletter embodied the essence of everything Fleet-related. Arriving quarterly this publication was anxiously awaited by the many subscribers who looked forward to learning new and exciting things about the 1715 Fleet.
The articles from this periodical contained everything from updates regarding ongoing salvage efforts on the 1715 Fleet, scholarly articles on archeology and numismatics, and personal notes regarding Ernie’s many friends in the shipwreck community. All of this was put together in a style unique to his personality.
One regular highlight of each issue was the “Cover Coin.” The Cover Coin was a special coin selected by Ernie that he would feature each month on the cover of each newsletter. Along with the image of this chosen piece was a paragraph or two explaining the significance of the coin.
A few months ago I approached Ernie about the possibility of allowing us to resurrect his Cover Coins and periodically feature one of these coins along with the text that accompanied each coin. Ernie agreed and indicated that he would assist us in our endeavor by sending us the material so that we would be able to present it in the same format in which it was depicted in the newsletter. In this way it will be historically accurate.
We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to showcase these Cover Coins in future posts here on our website. It also allows us to present the knowledge that Ernie has acquired over the years.
Additionally, we will be providing a link to a special page where Plus Ultra Newsletter can be purchased along with other books and pamphlets written by Ernie. In an effort to continue our educational mission we are making these publications available for purchase because they provide essential information on a wide range of topics regarding the 1715 Fleet.
We sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading about these Cover Coins and once again reminiscing about the good old days when we would anticipate the arrival of the next edition of the plus ultra newsletter in our mailbox.
Our first offering is the Cover Coin from Plus Ultra Newsletter from the First Quarter of 2016.
1 thought on “1715 Fleet Society To Offer New Feature”
Greetings to all Society Members. I like the idea of featuring coins from Plus Ultra. Those if us that are not familiar with the publication could certainly learn more about the history as captured at that time. I think we should consider Society members to be able to feature their 1715 Fleet coins and artifacts. It would be a fun way to further education of the 1715 Fleet and a chance to showcase important coins and artifacts associated with the 1715 Fleet. We should also consider showcasing coins and artifacts related to other very important shipwrecks like the Atocha for example.