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The Weazle Cannon

First sighting of the cannon
Original entry in diary owned by Col. Incledon-Webber

The Weazle was a Royal Navy brig, sent to the North Devon Coast to protect against pirates and lost in 'an hurricane' off Baggy point in 1799.

Report given at the Club AGM 1968 :

"Following up stories by local inhabitants of a wreck off Baggy Point in Morte Bay, club members scoured Barnstaple Athenaeum and other sources for information about HM Brig of War Weazle.

An account was found in a local paper (Feb 1899) under the 'hundred years ago' column. Apparently the disaster occurred on Feb 11th 1799 during a 'tempestuous gale of wind', all 105 crew and a woman passenger were lost (This is confirmed by the original entry in a diary owned by Colonel Incledon-Webber who was very helpful in providing other information concerning the wreck). The cargo (about 1 ton) consisted of copper, iron and lead; most of which was recovered in the days following the storm. There appears to be some doubt over her actual armament; it probably consisted of ten four-pounders and sixteen half-pound swivel guns.

In 1966, after a number of dives off Baggy Point, which is known to be a rather dangerous part of the coast, three cannons were found in about 20ft of water only a few yards offshore. The interest in the wreck simmered for two years with just one attempt possible in 1967, which in fact had to be called off at the last minute due to adverse weather conditions. It was not until Sunday 4th August 1968 that everything was favourable for a second try.

On the beach
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At rest in the stream
The Royal Crest

The club is fortunate enough to own a twenty-five foot boat, which along with divers and a crew left Ilfracombe Pier at 06.30 arriving on site at 08.00. After a quick reconnaisance, the cannon selected was one lying in a pit about 20ft in diameter and 12 ft below general rock level. A long bar with an eye was inserted into the barrel, a chain fastened to this and passed around the breech end of the gun, tied every eighteen inches to lie along the length of the cannon. Polythene bags, scrounged from farmers, were fitted with filling tubes and hooks, attached to the chain and duly filled with air. In haste the first attempt resulted in the whole assembly hurtling to the surface, allowing the air to escape, which reversed the process, dumping the cannon firmly back on the seabed. After recovering from this rather unexpected turn of events, a second filling was carried out with a little more control; once again cannon, chain and bags rose to the surface where an eager crew made fast to the boat. Divers came inboard and the boat set out for Woolacombe Sands. (En route, stopping three times to allow topping-up of the bags, as they were rather prone to leaking). The cannon was floated in on high tide as close inshore as possible, released from the bags and left in about three feet of water. At low water it was taken, with the aid of a breakdown truck to a stream - where it is at present.

This was not a very valuable find in the monetary sense, but it was an interesting exercise for the club, in which everyone managed some part. It has aroused sufficient interest to encourage quite an influx of new members, now under training, who are looking forward, as we all are, to the coming season".

The divers - Gerry Ash - Jack Stocks - Basil Cartlidge - Brian Watts - Brian Burch - Mick Comber
The kids (always part of the Ilfsac scene) - ??? - ? Comber

Being cleaned
The restored cannon

A report in the North Devon Journal Herald of the cannon lift is notable for it's factual inaccuracy - a warning to those who rely on newspaper reports of shipwrecks!