A 150 year old bottle of beer returned to Scotland from ship sunk in sea of booze

A 150-year-old bottle of Tennent's beer discovered on the shipwreck of the Light of Age off the coast of Australia has been returned to Scotland. Diver Jim Anderson found it on a shipwreck in the 1970s. It is thought to be the oldest bottle of beer in Scotland. The bottle was on board the Light of Age which sank near Melbourne on 16 January 1868. He has now returned it to the Glasgow brewery. The Light of the Age was a fast and large wooden clipper ship  built in 1855 and originally named the Beacon Light. On the Light of the Age's last voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne it was carrying a mixed general cargo worth 12,000 pounds and 42 passengers. 

The journey was fraught with problems from the start, with reported drunkenness amongst some members of the crew. Firstly it was grounded on 13 October 1867 shortly after leaving Liverpool on 13 October 1867. On the 9th December 1867 while off the Cape of Good Hope, a foretopmast and royal mast were lost, severely injuring one seaman and causing three seamen to be lost overboard and drowned in the process. At the later Marine Inquiry into the wreck of the Light of the Age Captain Porter was reported drunk before the ship even left Liverpool, and confined himself to his cabin in a state of drunkenness in the week that repairs to the masts were being carried out.  The ship sank outside Port Phillip Heads near Melbourne. During the rescue operation in heavy seas, the second officer was described as "drunk and obstructive", the cook and steward were also drunk, and the captain was described as "stupidly drunk".  Marine Board investigated the cause of the wreck and decided to cancel the Captain's certificate