Other artefacts from the ship include about 870 gold and silver coins, as well as personal belongings, ship's equipment, and cooking, eating and drinking utensils, all dating to the late-15th to 16th centuryAmgueddfa Cymru Museum Wales
Posted on 11/10/2026 9:59:40 PM PST by SunkenCiv
For over 400 years, this brass padlock has remained firmly sealed at the bottom of the sea.
But scientists have finally cracked its code, after using cutting-edge CT technology to solve the four-letter sequence that has kept it locked since 1583.
A team from Cardiff University were able to peer into the lock's internal mechanism without causing any damage.
They identified the correct letter combination -- ANCE -- and successfully opened the historic artefact...
Experts believe the lock once secured a treasure chest containing valuable possessions aboard the Ann Francis, a ship that was wrecked during a violent storm.
The vessel was heading to King's Lynn from Spain on December 28, 1583, when it was blown off course and ran aground on Margam Beach near Port Talbot.
Its cargo lay buried beneath the sand for centuries before being uncovered by metal detectorists...
The device was found near a collection of Spanish coins and two coin weights were recovered from the wreck site.
However, any chest it once secured has long since disappeared, leaving behind only tantalising clues.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
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Other artefacts from the ship include about 870 gold and silver coins, as well as personal belongings, ship's equipment, and cooking, eating and drinking utensils, all dating to the late-15th to 16th centuryAmgueddfa Cymru Museum Wales
“What treasure? We didn’t find any treasure!”
Very cool video.
Centuries later Anne Francis wrecked many childhoods by triggering early onsets of puberty.
(A violent storm can be called a Tempest, the name of the Shakespeare story that "Forbidden Planet" was based on. Everything goes around.)
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