The Longitude Pen

Commemorating the worst disaster in British maritime history, the tragic loss of the Association and her three accompanying ships & crew and acknowledging the genius & achievement of John Harrison’s quest for longitude. In joint venture with provenance brand TMB Art Metal, we present the Longitude Pen. Crafted from historic materials recovered from the shipwreck, we pay tribute to the lost souls of the Association.

Disaster struck on October 22nd, 1707, when Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell was returning his fleet back to base in Portsmouth from Cape Spartel, Gibraltar, the fleet sailed into tragedy when incorrect reckoning sent four of its vessels crashing onto the rocks of the Gilstone Ledges off the Scilly Isles in the dark of night. The time was 8pm, and by 8.04 the Association – Shovell’s 90-gun flagship and the second largest vessel in the 21-strong fleet under his command – had sunk with the loss of all 700 or more crew. Three more ships swiftly followed to leave a total of 1,450 sailors drowned.

The disaster proved to be the catalyst that prompted Parliament to introduce the Longitude Act of 1714, establishing the Board of Longitude and offering a substantial monetary prize to anyone who could find a simple and practical method for the precise determination of longitude at sea.

Almost 60 years later, Parliament reluctantly accepted that the challenge had been met by horologist John Harrison, after he had spent more than four decades developing a series of marine timekeepers that could achieve unprecedented accuracy during the longest of voyages.

The wreck site was located in 1967, following which many items of ship’s fittings, ordnance, precious metal coinage and of a personal nature were recovered – and the Longitude Pen incorporates some of those historic metals in its crafting.

The pen cap top (tassie), cap band and barrel end are of bronze from a pulley sheave used with the recovery and stowage of Association’s anchors. The tassie design represents the sheave itself, with a loop of rope around it, together with four more loops for design good measure. The cap and cap band are also decorated with a stylised ‘tempestuous wave’ pattern, representing the rough seas Association contended with on 22nd October 1707.

Sterling silver smelted from a mixture of corroded British half-crown, shilling and sixpence coins recovered from Association has been used to forge the pen’s magnificent clip, which is based on the arm and fluke from one of the ship’s anchors, and engraved with an image of the hour hand from John Harrison’s ‘H4’ – the first highly accurate, truly sea-going and practicable marine chronometer.

The parallel lines along the barrel represent lines of longitude, converging at the domed end of the pen body. The latitude and longitude position at which Association foundered, 49°51’45”N 6°24’32”W, along with the pen’s unique limited-edition number, is engraved on the pen’s nib holder to be revealed as the cap is unscrewed, adding a final and poignant element to an object that not only alludes to one of the most significant events in British naval history, but actually contains a physical link in its being.

The Longitude Pen is presented in a blue lacquered presentation box with engraved plaque and is available in a limited edition of 300. All pens come with a high-quality booklet detailing the history of the Association and the materials used in creating this pen.

Discover more about The Association, the story behind John Harrison’s quest for Longitude and the development of the Longitude Pen with our Eternal Story…

EU countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Items with standard specifications, i.e. no options are chosen, will normally be dispatched within 2-3 working days. Delivery lead time can be delayed in some circumstances. For example if you have requested personalisation of your order such as engraving or change of fittings.

If for any reason we are unable to meet our delivery commitments, we will contact you with a revised estimated delivery date or offer you the option to cancel or select other goods.

Read more about our delivery options here