HMS Victory found

No, not Nelson’s flagship at the battle of Trafalgar, which is still safely in dry dock in Portsmouth. Or at least it was just over a year ago when I visited her. But Nelson’s flagship wasn’t the first HMS Victory, in fact she was the sixth. Her immediate predecessor was built between 1726 and 1737 and when launched was considered the most technically advanced vessel of the age. She was one of the last ships to be lost at sea with a full complement of bronze cannons, before bronze was replaced by iron. Although a History channel programme the other night mentioned that Henry VIII started introducing iron guns in order to cut the cost of fitting out his fleet nearly 200 years earlier.

Anyway in 1744 HMS Victory was sent down to Lisbon to rescue a convoy that was being blockaded by a French fleet. After chasing the fleet away she was returning to the UK in October 1744 when she sank in a violent storm, killing approximately 950 men including 74 year old Admiral John Balchin, one of Britain’s highest regarded admirals.

For many years the ship was believed to have  hit the Casquets, a group of rocks north-west of Alderney in the Channel Islands. As a result Admiral Balchin’s reputation as a fine mariner was tarnished, as well as that of his captain and navigator. In addition a lighthouse keeper was also blamed and  charged with failing to keep his light lit.

On 18 November 2008 Odyessey Marine Exploration discovered the wreck approximately 60 miles from where she was believed to have hit the Casquets, which would seem to exonerate all involved in the sinking. It is now believed that the ship sank as a result of a violent storm, and that the ship’s design and construction may have contributed to her loss.

Two bronze cannons have been recovered from the wreck site and used to confirm the identity of the ship. These are a 12 pounder featuring the royal arms of George II, and  a 42 pounder with the arms of George I.

Odyssey Marine have apparently been working closely with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which hopefully means that their relationship with the UK will be better opinion that with Spain, whose government is suing them to recover 17 tons of silver coins that they recovered from a shipwreck which they believe is the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes y las Animas, which sank off Portugal in 1804. HMS Victory was believed to be have been carrying a substantial amount of gold and silver coins when she sank.

Discovery Channel will apparently be showing a Treasure Quest; Victory Special in the UK on 8th February. They have quite a good section on their website about the discovery. And here’s a press release from Odyssey Marine, along with more details of the project. The photos on this page also come from their website.