Most shipwrecks hold items of curiosity or value to treasure-hunting explorers. The sunken ship’s cargo is likely valuable (but bulky and difficult to raise form the deep); other treasures are far more portable.

A tarnished gold locket contains the image of a young woman. The locket bears the inscription, “To my darling. May this token bring you back to me. Forever, J.H.”
An oil painting of the married royal couple who commissioned the ship remains surprisingly well-preserved after its time underwater.
Watertight bone tubes contain scrolls useful for controlling the waves and the weather. Each scroll displays a symbol associated with a sea deity. Someone knowledgeable about the deity, and discovering no shrine or other sign of deference to the deity, might reason the scrolls are cursed and brought about the ship’s demise.
Five horizontally stacked coffins hide behind a secret panel in the hold. The coffins are watertight and appear filled with soil. If someone moves or digs into the soil in any coffin, they discover a preserved corpse wearing an ancient military uniform adorned with medals. The gold and silver medals have obvious worth, while a collector would pay a considerable sum for the uniform.
Concealed among barrels filled with hardtack, rendered useless by its exposure to seawater, a sealed oaken cask contains rare vintage brandy.
The ship was transporting numerous melee and ranged weapons, plus a couple of siege engines, meant to resupply one side of a war-torn region. While most of the ordinary weapons are standard quality, a pair of swords intended for high-ranking commanders have magical powers.
An ornate chandelier, weighing 40 pounds, magically provides light within the captain’s quarters, even underwater. Among the artfully crafted crystals a searcher finds five diamonds. Removing the diamonds ends the chandelier’s magic, and the diamonds collectively fetch less than the entire chandelier.
The hold contains gold ingots from a variety of regions. Each ingot is stamped with a symbol denoting the region from which it was taken, presumably by the ship’s crew. Returning the gold nets a paltry reward relative to its value, but attempting to sell the ingots outside of back-alley deals proves difficult.
The crew pulled in a bounty of oysters, many of which are still edible. More importantly, someone spending an hour searching through the oysters has a cumulative 10% chance of finding a pearl. (This chance resets once a character has found a pearl).
While not itself treasure, this map shows the location of a buried treasure on a remote island. Assuming the ship’s bearing is true to the wreck’s current location, the vessel was travelling toward the island when it sunk.
The ship’s ram ends in a gold head, with bronze plating concealing its true value.
The ship’s captain insisted on luxuries where they were available, which included dining. A full silverware set, somewhat tarnished by its exposure to saltwater, and a full table setting of finely crafted plates, cups, bowls and tureens are locked within a mahogany cabinet.
A pair of worn and obviously old vaguely human-shaped jade statuettes perch atop a toppled crate. The statuettes remain damp after removal from the water.
One of the crew was an accomplished musician and brought a prized violin on the journey. Oiled cloths protect and conceal the violin, for which another violinist would pay a considerable sum.
The ship’s navigator possessed a bronze astrolabe, magically enhanced to locate its guiding star even under overcast skies.
A clever crew member stashed a bag of gold coins in a conveniently concealed hollow space in the cargo hold’s wall. Those responsible for sinking and ransacking the ship had no time to find the coins.
The crew collected venom from sea anemones and stored it in vials. A thieves’ guild or an assassin would pay generously for the poison.
A pair of brass lions, intended as an offering as part of a nascent treaty between two warring nations, landed next to the ship. Bringing the statues, which weigh 150 pounds apiece, to either nation earns a substantial reward from the ruler who sent the lions.
Nets contain 500 pounds of fish, notable for their smoky flavour and glands which produce a narcotic effect when properly prepared.
Among ancient brass coins recovered from another shipwreck, explorers discover lumps of grey metal which grant unusual properties to armour and weapons forged with it. Perhaps the brass coins are cursed—and the cause of this ship’s doom.

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This article is an extract from 20 Things #62: Sunken Ship by Mike Welham. Alternatively, check out the 20 Things Archive for more handy, flavoursome and time-saving 20 Things articles ready for immediate use in your campaign.

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