Teacup from the Strathclyde Wreck off Dover, hand painted, unknown maker, c1870s.

These three ceramic cups and saucers were salvaged from the wreck of the SS Strathclyde by Glyn Jones in 2006. They were donated to the National Maritime Museum in 2023.

The SS Strathclyde was built in 1899 by Alexander Stephen & Sons for Burrell & Co. The ship left Dover on 17 Feb, 1876, bound for Bombay, with a crew of 47 and 23 first class passengers. The ship was two and half miles from Dover when it collided with the German steamship, SS Franconia. Contemporary newspapers report that the ship sank within ten minutes, and 38 people were drowned.

A trial was held at the Central Criminal Court in London, where the German master of the Franconia was found guilty of manslaughter. However, on appeal, it was discovered that English law did not cover him in English waters, and he was released. As a result, Parliament adopted the existing International Territorial Waters law in 1878.

Today the wreck of the Strathclyde sits, remarkably intact, on a stoney seabed at around 30 metres.

Object Details

ID: ZBA9681
Type: Teacup
Display location: Not on display
Date made: circa 1870s
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
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