Snorkeler finds remains of 125-year-old shipwreck: “I think I just got lucky”

It’s world-famous for its miles of sandy beaches and historic fishing villages. Now, the picturesque Norfolk coast on England’s eastern shore is attracting global attention following the discovery of a century-old shipwreck.

Three weeks ago, the remains of the SS Commodore were spotted near the town of Sheringham by local snorkeler and filmmaker Chris Taylor. He told CBS News’ Imtiaz Tyab good weather and a little luck helped him make the discovery.

“I think I just got lucky. It was just a lot of, you know, the weather, the clearness of the water, the sand not being there and me just happening to swim ashore at the right place. It just all came at once. I should have bought a lottery ticket,” said Taylor.

On a rainy November night 125 years ago, the SS Commodore was carrying coal to London from Newcastle when the ship ran aground. All 14 sailors on board survived, but the Commodore sank into the seabed. It was intentionally blown up in 1902 after it was considered a hazard, leaving remains.

Taylor used his drone to take shots of the wreck from above and sent it to a local museum to confirm it was the SS Commodore.

“They looked at the shots and said ‘Yeah, that’s the SS Commodore,’ and they were really quite excited because it hasn’t, like I say, it hasn’t been seen this clearly, for a long, long time,” Taylor said.

Since Taylor’s discovery, residents of Sheringham have flocked to see this remnant of the past — visible now, but maybe not for long.