Not long ago our Treasure of the Month for November was quietly resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It was recovered from its hiding place on June 4, 2019 by Kenton Dickerson, while working in a nearshore area at the Corrigan’s Beach WreckA 1715 Fleet wreck site located 5 miles north of the Vero Beach city limits. The site is referred to as the “Corrigan’s Beach Wreck” because the beach was once owned by Hugh Corrigan. It has bee... More site, a few miles north of Vero Beach, Florida. Dickerson was a team member of the recovery vessel Capitana. This gold religious artifact (pictured on top of a broken piece of K’ang Hsi china found at the same time) could possibly be a reliquary or receptacle to carry the Host used during Mass. The relic is inscribed “IHS”. The Christogram “IHS” is a monogram symbolizing Jesus Christ.
The Capitana, captained by Dan Porter of Maritime Research and Recovery (MRR), had been conducting archaeological excavations in the area where this item was recovered. As of October 23, 2019, this artifact had not undergone conservation. As soon as this process is completed an update will be posted.
Many thanks to Dan Porter (Fleet Society member #100) who supplied the images and text for this post.
Ben Costello, Director.
