Lot Essay
Sir Cloudesley Shovell's flagship Association was wrecked off the Scillies on 22nd October 1707 as a result of poor longitude calculations. The Atlantic Squadron, over twenty vessels, foundered with a loss of over 2,000 lives. As a result the Longitude Act of 1714 created the Board of Longitude which eventually awarded the 20,000 prize to John Harrison for his chronometer.