Britain’s most successful shipwreck explorer Rex Cowan dies age 97

To ensure his safety, his parents sent Rex and his sister to live with relatives in New York, where they experienced a world far removed from their traditional Jewish family life.

The family later relocated to Hollywood, where Rex had the unique opportunity to work part-time at Paramount Studios, meeting legendary stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Ginger Rogers, and Mickey Rooney.

Despite these early adventures, Rex's path eventually led him to a more conventional life. After returning to England, he joined the RAF but was grounded due to colour blindness, later serving as a guard for German prisoners of war.

He then earned a law degree from King's College London and pursued a career as a criminal solicitor, becoming quite successful in his own right.

However, by the age of 39, he found himself questioning his future, asking himself: “Rex, do you really want to be a middle-aged lawyer or even an old lawyer? Do you always want to go into the office in a suit and help rich people get richer, or defend a murderer?”

This question led him to abandon the security of his legal career and pursue a completely new passion.

In 1967, Rex Cowan embarked on an extraordinary journey that would define his life’s work: maritime archaeology.

It all began when he was asked to write about the Royal Navy’s search for the wreck of the Association, a man-of-war that sank in 1707 off the Isles of Scilly, where Cowan had a holiday home. As he watched divers retrieve pieces from the wreck, he knew he had found his true calling. His wife, Zelide, later discovered a 1794 account written by a local vicar about a Dutch East India Company ship that had sunk in the same area.

Inspired by the challenge, Rex and his team embarked on an ambitious quest to find the wreck of the Hollandia, a journey that would bring him years of fame and notoriety in the world of shipwreck exploration.

Despite fierce competition, sabotage, and legal battles, Cowan's team succeeded in locating the Hollandia wreck in 1971.

Over the next two years, they recovered thousands of silver coins, cannons, and other artefacts, many of which were donated to museums.

Cowan’s next major discovery came in 1977 when he unearthed the Vliegenthart wreck, which contained treasure chests of gold coins and other remarkable relics from the 18th century.

His work on these shipwrecks earned him international recognition and even a special gallery at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which displayed his collections.

Yet, it was never about the treasure for Cowan, he was driven by a deep passion for maritime archaeology and a profound respect for the history that lay beneath the waves.

His explorations took him to many shipwrecks, including the Svecia, a Swedish East India Company ship off the Orkney Islands, and the Rooswijk, a Dutch East India Company vessel off the coast of Kent.

Through his discoveries, Cowan recovered artefacts that told the story of 18th-century trade, warfare, and daily life, including coins, weaponry, and even a bottle of unopened wine.

Despite his many achievements, Cowan’s career was not without controversy. His commercial approach to shipwreck exploration often put him at odds with the archaeological establishment, who were wary of any form of commodification.

However, Cowan remained steadfast in his belief that his work was about contributing to history and preserving the past for future generations. He once explained that he did what he did not for financial gain, but to uncover "lost voices coming from the sea."

Cowan’s legacy is not just defined by his shipwreck discoveries.

He was also an active member of his community, sitting on the government’s Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites for 23 years and serving as a magistrate.

His commitment to preserving history and his sense of adventure were matched only by his dedication to family.

Rex was married to Zélide Teague, whom he met at an Israeli embassy reception, and together they had three daughters: Alex, a disability campaigner; Juliet, an actor who portrays Amy Winehouse’s mother in the film Back to Black and Annie, an actor and singer. His partnership with Zelide, who passed away in 2018, was at the heart of his life’s work.

Rex Cowan’s legacy lives on through his many contributions to maritime archaeology, his deep connection to his Jewish roots, and his adventurous spirit that led him to uncover history beneath the waves. As he once said, “Use a safety net, and you’ll never learn the skill of survival.”

Rex is survived by his daughters and grandchildren.

Rex Cowan, shipwreck explorer, born June 16, 1927, died March 9, 2025, aged 97.