Credit: © The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.10077
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    Chart of the sea floor during salvage operations on the wreck of H.M.S.Thetis

    Date
    1834
    Creator
    John Frederick Fitzgerald De Roos (1804 - 1861, British) , Naval officer
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (drawing): 229mm
    width (drawing): 297mm
    Subject
    Description
    Chart showing the main sea floor features, notably large rocks, cannon and a fissure in the cove at Cape Frio [Cabo Frio] in the State of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where H.M.S Thetis sank. The area of treasure recovery is denoted by an ellipse and the positions of the suspended diving platform and its supporting cables are superimposed. The drawing represents the state of the wreck between the operations of H.M.S. Lightning (which began salvage operations) and the commencement of salvage by H.M.S. Algerine.

    The Royal Navy ship H.M.S.Thetis struck rocks and sank off the coast of Brazil in December 1830 carrying a large cargo of gold and silver. Much of this was recovered by diving operations during the following year.

    Illustration from the paper "An account of some operations executed at Cape Frio by the officers and crew of H.M.S. Algerine for the purpose of raising a part of the stores &c lost in H.M.S Thetis” by Commander J F F de Roos, RN. Received by the Royal Society on 14 January 1834, the paper was read to the Society, concluding on 27 February 1834, but was not published in full: an abstract appeared in Proceedings of the Royal Society, vol.3, 1830-1837, pp.266-267.

    Inscribed in ink: “Exact State of the BOTTOM on arrival of HM Sloop Algerine.” Scale 1 ½ inches to 15 feet. Inscribed lower left: “F. De Roos delt.”

    John Frederick Fitzgerald de Roos was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1831.
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