What a Discovery!

away36 · What a Discovery!

By Melissa Gray
CNN
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A glimpse of something shiny on the ocean floor nine years ago led a Welsh diver to uncover a piece of local history that had been forgotten for more than a century.

Diver Rich Hughes was exploring a shallow shipwreck off the Pembrokeshire coast in April 2000 when he noticed the object embedded in sediment. He thought at first that he had found a coin, but he found it was actually an intact silver pocket watch, still bearing the inscription of its owner.

Hughes said he was determined to trace the history of the watch, believing such a prized object deserved to belong to family members or a local museum. But that led Hughes on a nine-year search with lots of dead ends and few leads.

Now, months after enlisting the help of a local researcher, Hughes has finally tracked down a family member and will be presenting the watch to him next week.

"I'm very happy and satisfied that we found out who he was," Hughes told CNN by phone Wednesday. "It sort of brings the story to a close. It's quite rewarding that it hasn't just sat in the back of somebody's garage."

The watch inscription reads "Richard Prichard, Abersoch, North Wales, 1866."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/20/watch.mystery/index.html

uncle aj

Nice story, just shows there are still some decent people around.

Letsgodiving

I love stories like this. Too bad they didn't have a pic of it. Hopefully, it can be restored.

Lisa

1866. Wow! What a story!

Tools

Great storh..

I think that is a much better use of the horology hobby than just shining one up and putting it ina box..

Brushpup

Truly is a good story..imagine the relative's surprise. I would be thrilled to death.