Insights into the lives and fate of survivors from the 17th-century shipwreck that led to the island’s permanent settlement will be revealed at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute next week.

Pater Barrett, the chair of the St George’s Foundation, will explore this topic during Aftermath: what became of the 150 Sea Venture castaways, next Tuesday.

The Sea Venture, helmed by Sir George Somers, left England for Jamestown, Virginia, in 1609 as part of a convoy with provisions and settlers headed for England’s colony in the New World.

However, the flagship was caught in a storm, separated from the rest of the fleet and wrecked near Bermuda’s East End before she could reach her destination.

Everyone aboard, including a dog, survived the wreck.

A small crew attempted to carry on to Virginia to alert settlers of the Sea Venture’s fate and set off in the ship’s longboat after equipping it with sails and oars — but were never seen again.

Work began among the other survivors on getting the rest of the company to Virginia and the team spent nine months building two new ships on the island.

A BUEI spokeswoman said Mr Barrett’s lecture would highlight the “historical impact of this event on Bermuda and America as well as exactly why 15 out of the 150 survivors never left Bermuda”.

She added: “Mr Barrett will be answering some of the most pervasive questions surrounding this event and its aftermath.

“While explaining the immense importance of the Sea Venture in Bermuda’s history, he will also reveal how the lessons learnt from settling Bermuda, ultimately saved the genesis of America itself.”

Tickets for the lecture, which will be held in Tradewinds Auditorium on Tuesday, September 17 at 7.30pm, are $20 for BUEI members, $25 for non-members and $10 for students with a valid ID.

• To learn more about or buy tickets for the talk, go tobuei.bmor ptix.bm, visit BUEI’s Oceans gift shop or call 294-0204.