Tourists snorkelling off Coral Beach today found a 95-year-old ship’s chest — containing ten, foot-long artillery shells.

The find was made by New Yorker Walker Brock and his friends who were on Island for a wedding.

According to Custodian of Wrecks Philippe Rouja, the intact chest was “quite rare because they usually get broken up”.

He said: “In essence what you are looking at is a strong box which is actually really rare to see these whole these days. And with almost 100 percent certainty we can say it came from the wreck of the Pollock Shields which was a shipwreck further east than this section of Coral Beach.”

The chest will be taken to Maritime Museum so it can preserved as a historic artefact. The shells were not dangerous.

Full story in tomorrow’s Royal Gazette