Henry of Huntingdon, speaking of the disaster, wrote that William, "instead of wearing embroidered robes…floated naked in the waves, and instead of ascending a lofty throne…found his grave at the bottom of the sea."
Henry dari Huntingdon, menyatakan bencana tersebut, menuliskan bahwa William, "mengambang telanjang di atas ombak... daripada mengenakan jubahnya yang bersulam, dan bukannya naik ke tahta yang mulia ... makamnya ditemukan di dasar laut."