Fight for the Schiller.

A few artifacts I found on the SS Schiller Wreck. 

The SS Schiller sank here in 1875. Its a very tragic story and there's a very good book about it entitled- 'The Victorian Titanic'  A few of my artifacts appear in the back of this book. (More on that below.) I have gathered all sorts of things from this wreck over the years including portholes and some large gold coins like the ones in the picture above. This small collection has a long tale to tell. I found most of it while working the wreck with a guy named Dave Mcbride. When I surfaced with a few of the silver items Dave's face was a picture- he was clearly very disappointed that I did so well while diving with him that day. As a result of his obvious disappointment, I offered Dave all my finds as they had come from a particular spot he liked on the wreck. He told me to dig there and I'd had a lot of fun finding the items but I really didn't want to upset him so reiterated the offer. However, he again foolishly refused to take them and it clearly ended up festering inside. A few months later, I put the artefacts all on display in my local museum and went on diving the wreck from time to time, with everyone else, not thinking there was anything wrong with that. Not once did I see the exact spot again where Dave had been working. Its not that kind of site. There is no ship to to see to speak of. Its utterly smashed to smithereens and scattered among hundreds of large boulders. Hardly anything is recogniseable down there aprt from a part of the prop shaft. Its very difficult to tell where you are as a result of this.  One just mooches among the boulders picking bits up as you go around. 

Buckled Silver toast rack. (Bares the liners Eagle Emblem)

Shortly after the items went into the museum, I got a letter from Dave,- (who actually lived next door to me at the time!)- suddenly stating that he was 'salvor in possession' of the wreck and that i was not to dive the site any longer. Consequently, I popped next door to confront him in an attempt put this silliness to bed. I knew this had always been a free wreck to dive, as everyone here was diving it at the time, even the local and mainland dive charters regularly put their customers on the site. Its what I call a "bus stop wreck" but one that occasionally gives up the odd interesting item. One of the other local divers that showed me where the wreck was told me that, years ago, he had also shown Dave where the wreck was too, so it was not like he had discovered it. On his door step Dave said I was "Advertising" the wreck by putting the artifacts in the museum. To me, this sounded a bit paranoid but there was nothing to say to that in return other than that- I was sorry it upset him but it was too late now. The items had been declared and the action taken.  Personally I could not see any harm. I then left knowing that I had now, unbelievably, fallen out with my neighbour over a few artifacts he had previously refused to take from me when they had been genuinely offered to him at the time!

Thimble with the name Elsa engraved in a cartouche.

A christening gift to Elsa who died in the wrecking.

I continued to visit the wreck with others from time to time amazed that someone would drop a friend for a few old wreck items-but theres nowt queer as folk!  One day another letter arrived, this time from the self important Richard Larn OBE; it came recorded delivery through his expensive London solicitor. The letter basically claimed that everything I had from the wreck was his by legal right. He basically wanted me to take everything from the museum and hand it all over to him. I was also told- never to go out to dive the Schiller again without his express permission. And that he held legal sway over the site. Both statements were false but now the truth was emerging. I had previously been dealing with the oil rag when I needed to be talking to the mechanic. Thus, I went up to Mr Larn's house to talk to him instead. I asked Mr Larn if his actions were a bit over the top and tried to make him see sense that anyone can dive this free and open wreck site for all. Truth be known-I wasn't really that bothered with the Schiller but my brother and friends liked to dive it at the time. I could easily have walked away from the wreck  but when I expressed the opinion that 'it wasn't his wreck to claim' - he got angry and said something like -"if you go out there again my solicitor will place an injunction upon you".  

Ornate silver travel sewing kit above and below it opened up

Needles were kept in the bottom and cotton on the spools under the thimble on top.

Well his threats were like a red rag to a bull. Instead of just caving in my east London gob opened and this came out- "Well crack on my old china, coz Im heading out there right now!" Well after that we fought over the site. Him to stop me and me just being bloody minded. To cut a long story short, the Receiver of Wreck also ignored Mr Larns claims to the wreck, and so too my artifacts, by taking the action of handing legal title to them all over to me. This single action broke his flimsy ill thought out "legal"claim to the Schiller, and everyone lived happily ever after. 😂

Silver ware like spoons bare the initials NLB. (Becker family)

Sadly the Schiller controversy didn't end there. The artefacts spent 15 years on display until the then curator of the museum, to my mind was a very stupid woman who should never have been given the job to begin with, decided to kick my other two displays- (HMS Colossus & Wheels Wreck)- out of the museum.  I felt she was just being vindictive because she had recently lost one of my schiller gold coins then in her care. Naturally, I had complained to the trustees and the museum found me another coin as a replacement.  Shortly after my other displays were given the boot-I took the Shciller items too, as I no longer trusted they were in the safest place to be. 

Silverware so far found on the site has either the owners initials upon them- NLB - or they carried the emblem of the German Liner company- an open winged Eagle over the letters DTDG that owned the Schiller.  As below.