Andy Jackson from Scarborough Sub Aqua Club reported finding a bottle full of gold filings to the Receiver of Wreck, after a dive on a wreck believed to be the Ellida, in Runswick Bay near Whitby, Yorkshire.

The unconfirmed find, which is believed by a jeweller to be the scrapings of gold worth up to £3,000 at current prices, was found in a sealed bottle with a porcelain stopper, close to the wreck.

The wreck that Jackson was diving is believed to be that of 1,124 ton Norwegian steamship Ellida, which was sunk by German submarine UB41 in Runswick Bay on April 19 1917. The wreck was found by Jackson and his dive buddy Carl Racey last year, and they are still working to positively identify her.

The Runswick Bay wreck is the right dimensions, with the correct age and type of fixtures, and the same engine and boiler arrangements as the Ellida. There is substantial damage to the stern, consistent with being hit by a torpedo.

As the bottle was found in the silt close to the wreck, it may or may not be related. There are no reports of any valuable cargo on board Ellida, and Jackson has speculated that the find could have been somebody's personal nest egg that was lost in the sinking.

Scarborough Sub Aqua Club is one of the oldest BSAC branches, with a proud history of treasure-finding and a colourful, controversial reputation for its wreck-finding activities.

More links of interest
Scarborough SAC treasure page

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