A museum in Hawaii is preparing to open a treasure-trove of artifacts from the shipwreck of a royal yacht sunk off the island of Kauai 191 years ago.
Richard Rogers, a Hawaii shipwreck chaser, worked with scientists from the Smithsonian Institution to dredge up the findings from the ship owned by King Kamehameha II, also known as Liholiho, the second king of Hawaii.
“We found gold, silver, Hawaiian poi pounders, gemstones, a boat whistle, knives, forks, mica, things from all over the world, high and low-end European stuff. Every bit of it is royal treasure,” Rogers said.
Rogers volunteered his time aboard his research vessel, the Pilialoha, over a five-year period in four-week intervals from 1995 to 2001 to retrieve the treasures.
“It’s all pickled and nice and ready to be displayed,” Rogers said. “There are over a thousand artifacts. We did our homework and this find is invaluable because it all belonged to the king. It is a fabulous window into the 1820s.”
Rogers said the king’s belongings were buried in 10 feet (3 meters) of water and 10 feet of sand. His favourite discovery was a trumpet shell.
It’s all pickled and nice and ready to be displayed. There are over a thousand artifacts. We did our homework and this find is invaluable because it all belonged to the king. It is a fabulous window into the 1820s.
“I found it under a bunch of sand and carried it onto the deck. This was in 1999. I blew it and it made the most beautiful sound going out over Hanalei Bay,” Rogers recalled. “I thought about how it hadn’t been blown in over 170 years.”
Kamehameha and his yacht
Kamehameha II purchased the yacht from George Crowninshield II, who named it “Cleopatra’s Barge” in 1816. According to historian and Kauai Museum volunteer Zenon Wong, it cost $50,000 to build the 192-ton yacht. Rogers said it was the first luxury ocean-going yacht built in the United States.
Wong said reports were conflicting about the condition of the crew of the 83-foot long ship, which had been renamed Ha’aheo o Hawai ’i (Pride of Hawaii). Some documents indicate everyone on board was drunk April 6, 1824, when the ship went aground on a shallow reef. Other historical accounts report everyone was intoxicated except the captain.
The cause of the wreck is unknown, but speculation shows it may have been the combination of an unexpected gale and a snapped anchor cable. There are no reports that anyone died aboard the ship, which was crewed entirely by Hawaiians.
The principal value of the artifacts is historical, said Paul F. Johnston, curator of maritime history at the National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution. They represent the only known objects from the short but intense reign of Kamehameha II, the man who abolished the Hawaiian kapu (taboo) socio-cultural system and allowed Christian missionaries into the kingdom.
The state of Hawaii owns the artifacts and loaned them to the Smithsonian for conservation and study.
