Sea Venture wreck
Reefs off St. George's, Bermuda (pin at the town; wreck lies nearby)
What happened
In June 1609, the Sea Venture sailed from England, leading a fleet carrying supplies and settlers to the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia. A hurricane separated it from the other ships, and it began to leak badly. When the crew sighted Bermuda, they steered the ship onto a reef, and all of the roughly 150 people aboard reached shore safely.
Why it matters
The survivors' stay led to the English settlement of Bermuda. Their story is widely believed to have inspired William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
What came next
The survivors built two new ships, the Deliverance and the Patience, from wreckage and Bermuda cedar, and sailed on to Jamestown in May 1610. The wreck was found in 1958, and many of its objects are now at the National Museum of Bermuda.
Did you know?
The survivors lived on Bermuda for more than nine months while they built their two new ships.
Timeline
- 2 June 1609The Sea Venture leaves Plymouth, England, for Jamestown.
- 24 July 1609A hurricane strikes the fleet.
- 28 July 1609The crew sights Bermuda and runs the ship onto a reef.
- 10 May 1610The survivors sail for Jamestown in two ships they built.
- 1612St. George's becomes the first permanent English settlement on Bermuda.
- October 1958Diver Edmund Downing finds the wreck.