Jamestown – the Shipwreck and the Loot

On the 26th of June 1881, Jamestown was wrecked at Hvalsnes on the Reykjanes peninsula. The ship was enormous—likely among the very largest vessels ever to come to Iceland—and it was loaded with timber of various kinds, including hardwood. But what impact did the wreck have on the Suðurnes region? What became of the cargo and the ship itself? Are any traces of the wreck still visible today?

In this lecture, Helgi Biering, folklorist and archivist at the National Archives of Iceland, discusses the ship’s history, the events leading up to the wreck, and its aftermath.