Popular Science · 4 Nov 2026
Archeologists crack a shipwreck's 400-year-old combination lock
Published Nov 4, 2026 3:00 PM EST Archaeologists have finally cracked the code to the famed Ann Francis shipwreck’s brass combination treasure lock. However, the 16th century relic didn’t open after hours of painstaking trial-and-error. Researchers at Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru, the National Museum of Wales, relied on highly detailed CT scanning equipment to peer inside the mechanical device and learn the code without touching the lock itself.
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