SS Nantes Shipwreck Found: Pilot’s Clue Uncovers Tragic 1888 Maritime Mystery

A shattered piece of crockery has unlocked a maritime mystery, revealing the resting place of the SS Nantes, a ship lost to the English Channel nearly 140 years ago. Discovered by a dive team led by former British Army helicopter pilot Dominic Robinson, the wreck tells a tragic tale of coal and calamity.

The SS Nantes, built in Glasgow in 1874, met its doom in 1888 after a fatal collision with the German ship Theodor Ruger. En route from Liverpool to La Havre with a cargo of coal, the vessel sank, claiming nearly all its crew. "It drifted for hours before sinking in the early morning, with only three survivors," Robinson shared, noting two crewmen leapt to safety on the Theodor Ruger, while one clung to the Nantes, only to be rescued later.

The breakthrough came when divers found a broken plate bearing the Cunard Line logo, a clue as telling as a ship’s name carved in stone. "That plate was the key," Robinson explained, paired with records from the UK Hydrographic Office confirming the ship’s 260-foot length. By cross-referencing sunken Cunard ships and the wreck’s location, the team pinpointed the Nantes.

This discovery joins a wave of underwater finds, from a 16th-century shipwreck in French waters to Captain Cook’s legendary vessel off New England. Each wreck whispers stories of adventure and loss, pieced together by those who dare to dive into history’s depths.