Victory survey progresses (From Boating Cornwall)

Victory survey progresses

11:54am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in News By David Barnicoat

Odyssey Marine Exploration, a pioneer in the field of deep-ocean shipwreck exploration and archaeology, has reached an agreement with the Maritime Heritage Foundation for the financing, archaeological survey and excavation, conservation and exhibit of HMS Victory (1744) and artefacts from the shipwreck site off the Channel Islands.

The tragic loss of this fine ship puzzled scholars and historians for three centuries.

In 2008 a 300-year search for HMS Victory ended when Odyssey solved a perplexing naval mystery by discovering the shipwreck 60 miles west of the Casquets.

Odyssey Marine’s research vessel Odyssey Explorer has used Falmouth as a base port for many of the company’s projects in the Western Approaches and only a week ago the ship berthed at the docks. According to AIS (Automatic Identification System) the ship is currently working at the wreck site.

After a period of joint consultation between the UK’s Ministry of Defence and the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and a public consultation period, the remains of HMS Victory were transferred to the Maritime Heritage Foundation in January.

The foundation, a charity established to locate shipwrecks, investigate, recover and preserve artefacts to the highest archaeological standards and to promote knowledge and understanding of Britain’s maritime heritage, has now assumed responsibility for the future management of the wreck site.

Odyssey chief executive officer, Greg Stemm said: “We are honoured to work with the Maritime Heritage Foundation on the Victory project, an important piece of British naval heritage. Since our discovery of HMS Victory, we’ve continued to monitor the site and have sadly noted significant changes to the site including four ton cannon that have been dragged and damaged, as well as the illicit recovery of a cannon by another salvor, signs that the idea of preserving the site in situ is clearly not practical.

“We plan a phased approach, which will include an initial non-disturbance survey, and expect to begin the archaeological excavation as soon as practical.”

Sir Robert Balchin, chairman of the Maritime Heritage Foundation, said: “We hope that this site will give us a unique insight into the world of the mid-18th Century Royal Navy.

“We are very concerned that natural erosion, damage from fishing vessels and illegal looting may endanger the wreck and therefore we have planned an archaeological survey that will record the site before it deteriorates further.”

Sir Robert Balchin is a kinsman of Admiral Sir John Balchin.

HMS Victory was a British First Rate Warship that sank during a storm in October 1744 while under the command of Admiral Sir John Balchin. She was the last Royal Navy ship to be lost at sea with a complete complement of bronze cannon. Historians long believed that HMS Victory sank after striking the Casquets rocks off the island of Alderney. The island’s lighthouse keeper was subject to a court martial for allegedly failing to keep the lights on between October 1 and 5, 1744.