London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

The real story of Cayman’s most famous shipwreck

The real story of Cayman’s most famous shipwreck

The thrilling history of the Cayman Islands’ most famous shipwreck is revealed in a new book penned by the director of the national museum.

Peggy Leshikar-Denton’s account of the story behind the Wreck of the Ten Sail is the culmination of more than three decades of research.

Using a mix of documentary accounts, oral histories and underwater archaeological surveys, the book pieces together the story of how a convoy of British ships were wrecked on the reefs off East End en route from Jamaica to the UK.

The book, ‘Cayman’s 1794 Wreck of the Ten Sail, Peace, War and Peril in the Caribbean’, is on sale at the Cayman Islands National Museum shop. The author will be signing copies as part of a soft launch Wednesday night.

Leshikar-Denton describes the book as a “labour of love” that had been made possible by the help and support of “many, many people” in the Cayman Islands and beyond.

Her interest in the story was sparked when she was part of a team that surveyed the wrecks of the Cayman Islands in 1979 and 1980. Years of research, including trips to the national archives in England and Jamaica and a PhD thesis followed, culminating in the book.

“It is a compelling story,” she said.

The story

Everyone in Cayman knows of the Wreck of the Ten Sail. But few know the full story.
The basic details, outlined in the book’s preface, tell how 10 British ships travelling from Jamaica in a convoy of 59 vessels went down off Grand Cayman.

Led by the frigate HMS Convert under the command of Captain John Lawford, the vessels were mostly merchantmen laden with rum, sugar, lumber and other produce bound for England. Approximately 10 lives were believed lost when the Convert and nine other ships wrecked on the eastern reefs in the early hours of 8 Feb. 1974.

The inhabitants of Grand Cayman, which numbered fewer than 1,000 people at that time, helped rescue the survivors.

Captain Lawford and around 30 of his men camped in tents on the beach opposite the wreck site for weeks afterwards as they attempted to salvage the vessels.


Folklore


A famous, likely apocryphal tale still told about the wreck in the Cayman Islands today is that King George III exempted the territory from taxes in thanks for the efforts of the islanders.

Leshikar-Denton says it is conceivable that Cayman Islanders were granted freedom from conscription to the British army, but she found no evidence of any tax exemption.

The book, which began as a PhD project in the 1990s, also involves accounts of oral histories about the wreck passed down through generations of Caymanians.

The tales vary in detail and accuracy but contain the broad strokes of the true story. There is an element of national pride, too, as they tell how Cayman’s small population, reeling from the impact of a hurricane itself, came to the aid of a British convoy.

Leshikar-Denton believes the story is an important part of the islands’ heritage and identity.

“This was meaningful to the local population. They remembered it for hundreds of years and told stories about it.

“It is the most famous of Cayman’s many wrecks.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×