Lost pharaoh's stone Coffin of Beatrice 1838

Crow · Feb 26, 2026

The Beatrice is perhaps the most beguiling unresolved case of a shipwreck containing a treasure much older than the date of the sinking. Some of the most spectacular underwater discoveries have been artefacts much older than the ships that were transporting them, whether smaller items being carried privately as treasured heirlooms or the wholesale shipment of looted works of art and antiquities. Here is a drawing of the vessel below..

The whereabouts of the Beatrice has bedevilled archaeologists for decades. The only solid clues come from the account of Vyse himself below, the sarcophagus was the stone coffin of Menkaure, pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom who died about 2500 BC. Only months before the wrecking the sarcophagus had been found in the Pyramid of Menkaure - the smaller of the three pyramids at Giza – by a British adventurer, Colonel Howard Vyse, whose account of the discovery, Operations carried out at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837,

who in that same footnote – with no word of regret – states that the ship had left Leghorn (Livorno in north-west Italy), presumably a port-of-call on the way home, and then was ‘supposed to have been lost off Carthagena’ in south-west Spain, as ‘some parts of the wreck were picked up near the former port.’ In order to build up my own picture of the ship I researched her in Lloyd’s Register, often the only source of details on British merchant vessels of this period. There are several vessels named Beatrice in this timeframe, but the most likely, whose owner and master was a man named Wichelo, was a brig of some 224 tons built in 1827 which had been involved in the transatlantic trade with general cargo between Quebec and England in the early 1830s, as well as in the Mediterranean; at the time of her loss she had been classified as ‘second description of the first class, well and sufficiently found,’ having earlier been modified to snow-rig, been copper-sheathed on two occasions and having had iron instead of wooden knees to hold up her deck timbers.

This and the other illustration below from Colonel Vyse’s book are the only known record of the sarcophagus of Menkaure. Although seemingly austere by comparison with later Egyptian sarcophagi, it is of great importance for its age - almost 1200 years older, for example, than the sarcophagi of Tutankhamun - and as one of the best exemplars of the architectural style of decoration prevalent in the Old Kingdom. Here is a picture below of the sarcophagus as it was discovered in the Great Pyramid below.

Today, the chamber is empty below.

Menkaure, pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom who died about 2500 BC. below

As well as a stone coffin, it makes one wonder what else was being shipped on the Beatrice in 1838?

Crow

Crow · Feb 26, 2026

In researching further in Lloyd's records.

Here is a description and illustration of a stone coffin being transported back to the British Museum.

According to the Register, the Beatrice had recently been copper-sheathed and snow-rigged, making her disappearance all the more confounding.

Lloyd’s Register reports that the Beatrice left Alexandria on September 20, 1838, made a short stopover in Malta on October 13, and was last spotted near Cartagena, corroborating Vyse’s words.

While archeologists are confident that the wreck could eventually be found, they have yet to organize a coordinated search effort. The main obstacle to such efforts isn’t so much money—Egyptian authorities are keen on recovering the looted artifact—as bureaucracy, as they require the approval and cooperation of the Spanish government.

And we all know what will happen there?

Crow

Crow · Feb 26, 2026

Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities at that time, said in an interview with the Cairo newspaper, Al-Ahram Weekly already in 2004, that he believed that the wreck lay off the Spanish city of Cartagena, as confirmed by old maps and newspaper reports. “I’ll look for a way to cooperate with the Spanish government and we will agree to return the sarcophagus to Egypt,” Cartagena picture below where some of wreckage washed ashore.

Although it would be technically possible to recover the cargo despite the logistical difficulties and high cost, there might occur a legal battle over he Beatrice and its cargo because it is a British ship located potentially in Spanish territorial waters. Hawass said however he believed that the sarcophagus was removed from Egypt illegally and would thus have to be returned to Egypt.

The sarcophagus is an extremely rare piece and its arrival in Britain was highly anticipated. The Egyptian collection of the British Museum exhibits an impressive collection of art from ancient Egypt and probably has the finest collection in the world with over six million works of history. But the sarcophage never arrived…

The location of the wreck and the exploration of it has become an obsession for many people. There are unsolved questions regarding the wreck and after many unsuccessful attempts, a research campaign has managed to trace the last moments of the ship and the fate of its passengers through copies of the Lloyd’s List.

According to the Lloyd’s List, we know now that the Beatrice left the port of Alexandria to Liverpool on September 20, 1838. If sailing with a complete crew, there must have been about twenty men on board and they all knew the itinerary. Beatrice made a stopover in the port of Malta before it departed on October 13. The ship was spotted a few days later off the Spanish port of Cartagena.

The Beatrice was barely swallowed by the waves when rumors of valuable cargo and fabulous treasures circulated: gold bullion, precious stones, the imaginations were limitless.

Dr. Ivan Negueruela of the National Museum of Spain for maritime archaeology in Cartagena told the Spanish newspaper, La Verdad, “The sarcophagus is somewhere on the coast between Cabo de Palos and Mazarron. This is very important, especially if one hopes to find other objects on the seabed. Yes, there may be some surprises.” The “surprise” would comprise of exactly 200 antique boxes, containing pink granite and gold coins among others that should hopefully go to museum.

It is clear from the few images that have survived, that the sarcophagus is an element of considerable historical significance. Would it ever be recovered from its water tomb? Only time will tell?

Crow