Researchers believe they have finally found a lost treasure-laden ship from the 17th century belonging to King Charles I.
Researchers have tried to locate the vessel, known as the Blessing of Burntisland, for the past 30 years, GB News reported Thursday, noting the site lay off the Scottish coast in the Firth of Forth.
Volunteers with Burntisland Heritage said they believe they zeroed in on the possible site of the ship’s remains using scanning technology.
“The Blessing foundered in unexpectedly rough weather in July 1633, while sailing from Burntisland to Leith during the Stuart King Charles I’s Scottish coronation tour. Only two of the 35 passengers and crew onboard are believed to have survived,” Divernet reported.
It was reportedly carrying treasure that included jewelry, textiles, coins, precious-metal plate, and possibly a gold and silver dinner service.
Charles was traveling in a separate ship when the vessel went down. The treasure has since been valued at about 20 million pounds, adjusted for inflation.
Search leader Ian Archibald said, “We may have found the site of a historic wreck, but we have not yet identified it. We have retrieved a timber sample but we do not know at this stage what ship that has come from. The next stage would be carbon-dating.”
Charles I was born in Fife, Scotland, on November 19, 1600, according to Britannica, which said he “was the king of Great Britain and Ireland (1625–49), whose authoritarian rule and quarrels with Parliament provoked a civil war that led to his execution.”
Local leaders and officials are discussing the possible creation of a visitor center and museum to display artifacts that might be recovered from the site, per the GB News article.
“Should the identification finally be confirmed, the wreck has the potential to become one of Scotland’s most significant maritime archaeological discoveries,” the Divernet report said.