The Tale of the Metta Catharina Shipwreck

Tuesday 4th February 2025               Cost £3

Jon Parlour

Die Frau Metta Catharina von Flensburg was a brigantine, built in 1782 at Rønshoved on the north shore of Flensburg Fjord, now in Denmark. In December 1786 the Catharina was carrying a cargo of hemp and reindeer hide to Genoa from Saint Petersburg when worsening weather compelled her to seek shelter in Plymouth Sound. Unfortunately, on the night of the 10th at about 10 pm a south-westerly gale tore the Catharina from her anchorage towards Drakes Island, luckily it was high spring tide and the vessel was thrown over the rocks that lie between Drake’s Island and the Cornish shore. Miraculously the entire crew managed to escape before the Catharina sank in 30m of water under Raveness Point.

The wreck lay forgotten for nearly 200 years before the chance discovery of a bronze bell on the seabed in the Barnpool by members of Plymouth Sound BSAC in October 1973. Under the leadership of Ian Skelton, the Nautical Archaeology Section of Plymouth Sound BSAC excavated the wreck between October 1973 and the end of the project in 2006. In this talk, Jon tells the story of the Metta Catharina and her pioneering archaeological excavation under difficult conditions by a team of avocational divers from Plymouth.

Jon has been diving for more than 50 years, his enthusiasm for exploration and sharing his experiences with others has never waned. His interest in maritime history and archaeology grew during his time in the Royal Navy and subsequently as a diving instructor at Fort Bovisand Underwater Centre in Plymouth during the 1970s and 80s.

An avocational archaeologist, Jon has been a member of the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) since 1990 and has assisted on a variety of archaeological sites in the UK and Northern Europe. As a NAS Tutor since 1995, he shares his passion for discovery, recording and interpretation of underwater sites through the delivery of a broad range of events.

Over the years Jon has been involved in the investigation of local wreck sites including the warship Coronation (1691), off Penlee Point and the merchant vessel Die Frau Metta Catherina Von Flensberg (1786), off Drake’s Island.

During the last five years Jon has been a member of the NAS team investigating the wreck of the Dutch warship Klein Hollandia which sank off Beachy Head, East Sussex, in 1672. He is also a member of the South West Maritime Archaeological Group (SWMAG) and is currently part of a team investigating the protected wreck sites off Salcombe and in the Erme estuary.