Most people are fascinated with shipwrecks and depending on the age, when one thinks of these historical treasures, the imagination runs wild. The young may think of Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean movie, or not so young may remember the Titanic. Whatever the allure, most people relish the idea of recovering lost treasure and thus the fascination continues.

As an island that is not only steeped in maritime tradition, but was also known by ancient mariners as the last land sighting and supply location before they tacked to the northwest for Cape Corrientes (western most point of Cuba) to join the Gulf Stream on their way back to Europe, the Cayman Islands has become known for its shipwrecks. Over 300 ships have met their demise in and around these islands.

Against this background, the Cayman Islands Postal Service released a set of stamps titled Anchors on Friday, 2 August. This stamp issue features the anchors of local shipwrecks, illustrates the type of ship and provides a brief background of the circumstances of the sinking and the location. The stamps highlight the anchors of the Mathusalem (20₵), Topsy (25₵), Inga (25₵), Tofa ($1.50), Glamis ($2). The first day cover features the HMS Sparrowhawk. Anchors are an important detail because they are useful in identifying the size of a ship, since there is a specific scale of size to weight ratio between ships and their anchors. They also assist in identifying the date when a ship was built.

The Anchors images were reproduced by kind permission of Mr. Lawson Wood who is well known for chronicling ships that have sunk. Mr. Wood is the author of the book, Shipwrecks of the Cayman Islands: A Diving Guide to Historical and Modern Shipwrecks (2004), which was also a source for the historical information.

“There is so much maritime history around the Cayman Islands that inevitably with the foundering of over 300 ships in the vicinity, the evidence around our beautiful shallow reefs is there for everyone to see.  Often, the only indication of some catastrophic event is the remains of the larger and heavier parts of an old wooden ship,” Mr. Wood explained.

“The anchors themselves tell the story of the founding of the Cayman Islands. Embedded in the shallow coral reefs or near the shore, they are our indicators that provide marine historians and researchers with the impetus to discover more about our rich and varied history and how these shipwrecks, their crews and their cargos have shaped the future of the Cayman Islands over the last 500 years,” he added.

Postmaster General Sheena Glasgow said “I think this issue will be well received and I would like to thank all those that assisted in making it possible, including Mr. Woods for donating the photos which provide the Stamp Advisory Committee with the idea to put together such an issue,” she stated.

Minister of Planning, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure Honorable Kurt Tibbetts said he was pleased to see the Postal Service using stamps to share the Islands history. “The Cayman Islands has a fascinating maritime history and this stamp issue gives a glimpse of that past as well as puts the spotlight on some of the unlucky ships that met their demise while crossing our islands.”

Shipwrecks Anchors are now on sale. For more information, please contact Karen McField 9464757 or email [email protected].