Belgian diver uncovers 162‑year‑old beer and gin bottles in 1864 wreck off Dover

On 8 August 2026 Belgian diver and underwater photographer Stef Panis located the wreck of the wooden sailing ship Mindoro at a depth of about 25 metres off the coast of Dover in southeast England. The vessel had sunk in 1864 while en route to Vancouver with colonial cargo.

Among the debris Panis found a sealed crate containing intact bottles of beer and gin, including a bottle marked “Ginis London”. The beer bottles are estimated to be 162 years old. The Ginis brewery, which produces the brand in Ireland, said it would have the bottle examined in its laboratory.

The wreck also yielded other period artifacts such as wine bottles, plates, gun fittings and military straps, indicating the ship carried supplies for a British army regiment stationed in Vancouver.