A view on board the salvage vessel Greencastle looking forward from the port side just behind the air pump. The diver, Captain H. E. Anderson, is up to his knees in water, as he lowers himself down the ladder. Two men are operating the hand-cranked air pump, while another handles the air pipe. A small group of people are on the beach in the distant left of the photograph, indicating how close inshore the salvage vessel is.

The 64-gun Third Rate HMS Anson (1781) was wrecked in December 1807 and subsequently rediscovered by Captain H. E. Anderson, the chief officer of the West of England Salvage Company. A negotiated deal between him and the Admiralty allowed him to buy the wreck to undertake salvage work. The first items recovered were some of the guns, the first being on 14 April 1903.