Potential discovery of 1633 royal shipwreck off Scotland

A community heritage group believes it may have located the centuries-old wreck of a royal ship that sank off the coast of Scotland in 1633 while transporting treasure for King Charles I. Burntisland Heritage announced that a team of volunteers has found evidence strongly suggesting the remains of The Blessing of Burntisland lie buried in sediment about one mile from shore in the Firth of Forth.

The 60-foot wooden ferry sank on July 10, 1633, during a storm while carrying the king's baggage and a valuable cargo from Burntisland to Leith. The voyage was part of Charles I's Scottish coronation tour. The king, who had been crowned in Edinburgh, reportedly watched the disaster unfold from his flagship, the Dreadnought. Only two of the 35 people on board survived the sinking.

Historians believe the vessel was overloaded with heavy royal treasure, which may have contributed to its fate in the severe weather. The lost cargo is reported to have included gold, silver, coins, textiles, and a 280-piece silver dining service commissioned by King Henry VIII. The total value at the time was said to be around £100,000, a sum estimated to be worth tens of millions of pounds today.