The US-company Odyssey Marine Exploration, specialised on rediscovering and salvaging shipwrecks, announced the discovery of the ship of the line H.M.S. Victory in the English Channel.1
That ship, launched in 1737, already had 1,920 tons and bore 100 cannons as she sunk in 1744 during a fierce storm in the English Channel. All of the some 1,100 crewmen died in this incident. The Royal Navy had several ships of that name over the centuries – the most famous H.M.S. Victory may be the flagship of Admiral Lord Nelsons on which he won the Battle of Trafalgar and that can still be visited as a museum ship.
Odyssey Marine Exploration found the remains of the once powerful ship some 100 kms away from the assumed place it went down the sea. The two raised cannons – a 12-pounder and a mighty 42-pounder – confirm the the wreck’s origin. The photos from the wreck and even the sonar scans give a fascinating impression.
Further links:
Odyssey Marine Exploration – H.M.S. Victory Project
Odyssey Marine Exploration (Wikipedia)
SPIEGEL online article with pictures from February 1st 2009 (German)
Royal Navy (Wikipedia)
- Ships of the line had been the largest warships from the 16th to 19th centuries and were named after the tactics to sail in line in battle to provide for maximum firepower. ↩