HMS Colossus

The file at a glance

HMS Colossus was launched in 1787, fought at Groix and Cape St Vincent, and was wrecked off Samson on 10 December 1798.

She carried wounded sailors and part of Sir William Hamilton's collection of Greek antiquities. All but one of those aboard survived.

The archaeological record

The protected wreck survives as separate bow and stern sites. Licensed surveys have recorded timbers, ordnance, personal objects, and fragments from the antiquities cargo.

The reconstructed manifest

No complete surviving manifest has been located. The documented reconstruction includes the ship's company, wounded personnel, Admiral Lord Shuldham's body, Hamilton antiquities, naval stores, guns, shot, rigging, copper, and ballast.

How to collect HMS Colossus

Collectors should require a continuous recovery and ownership record. Period ironwork alone does not establish a Colossus attribution, and no treasure-coin cargo is documented.