Bottle Wreck

The Bottle Wreck lies in shallow water on a sandy bottom close to the Great Basses lighthouse, on the land side of the ridge. Its name and origin are unknown; it is called after the pointed-bottom soda and lemonade bottles found on the site, which the ship is said to have loaded at Galle. Arthur C. Clarke and his companions, among them Peter Throckmorton, brought the wreck to attention in the early 1960s, and the Maritime Archaeology Unit recovered bottles in 2009 that are now shown in the Maritime Archaeology Museum in Galle. Constant surge has broken the ship up badly, so two large anchors are its clearest remains, but fish life is rich and the water is usually clear. Treasure hunters have already removed most of the bottles, so anything still on the site should be left in place.