CT Scans Crack Code of 1583 Ann Francis Shipwreck Padlock
Experts in Wales have used CT scans to work out the secret code of a padlock recovered from the Ann Francis, a merchant ship that was wrecked in a storm on 28 December 1583. The ship was lost at Margam beach near Port Talbot, on the shores of Swansea Bay in south Wales. The bay opens into the Bristol Channel, a busy and often rough stretch of water between Wales and south-west England.
The padlock works with lettered rings, like an early combination lock. Specialists from Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales and Cardiff University scanned it without opening or damaging the fragile object. By studying the hidden internal parts in the scan images, they found the four letters that release it: A, N, C and E. Cardiff University biomechanics expert David Williams advised on the scanning, and museum curator Alastair Willis then set the rings to the code.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The Ann Francis belonged to Francis Shaxton and his father, merchants from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, England, who have been described as smugglers. Between 1996 and 2017, metal detectorist Peter Hughes recovered about 870 coins and other objects from the wreck site. Together, these finds give historians a rare view of trade, money and shipping along the Welsh coast in the Tudor period, more than 440 years ago.
The Ann Francis collection, including items from the wreck, is on display at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea until June 2027.
CrewMirror Takeaway
The Ann Francis is a reminder that winter storms have claimed ships and crews close to shore for centuries. Modern seafarers have far better forecasts and equipment, but early weather decisions and safe anchorage planning remain just as vital today.
