The Wreck and Recovery of the Royal George. Engraved AR rondel (35mm, 17.84 g). Dated 29 August 1782 and 1839. View of the listing Royal George; around and below, Part/ of the/ WRECK/ of the/ Royal George/ Sunk Aug 29 1782/ Recovered/ 1839 / Blank. Unpublished. Toned, some scratches and deposits, otherwise about as made. Very rare.
From the J. Eric Engstrom Collection. Ex Coin Galleries (12 April 1994), lot 1544.
When the HMS Royal George was launched in 1756, she was the largest warship in the world, and she fought with distinction at the Battle of Quiberon Bay during the Seven Years' War. On 29 August 1782, as the ship was being readied to sail for Gibraltar, the crew moved her guns and casks to the port side, to more easily examine the hull. This caused the ship to keel over severely on one side, eventually taking on water and sinking. 900 sailors and civilians aboard lost their lives, making this one of the worst maritime disasters to occur in British waters