HMS Victory and Gold: The Full (ish) Story

For those with cable or satellite, Treasure Quest on the Discovery Channel gave a glimpse into the search for the HMS Victory lost 265 years ago in the English Channel. But like most shows of it's ilk it was all about glamorous shots and high drama as the Odyssey crew tried to avoid giving the game away to rivals that they had found a possible fortune beneath the waves.



For a better insight into the ship, it's discovery and identification, check out the 46-page Preliminary Survey and Identification on the company's website.

In a (fairly largish) nutshell then;
HMS Victory was classed as a first-rate man-of-war (one of the most impressive warships of it's era) that was brimming with cannons. It vanished in a storm in October 1744 and was thought sank at Casquets, near Aldernay under the captaincy of Admiral Sir John Balchin, taking more than 1,000 sailors to their deaths.
The ship was homeward bound after multi-pronged mission when she was caught in the violent storm. She had helped escort a convoy of vessels heading to America and also to the Med to provide victuals to the allies fighting the War of Austrian Succession. Admiral Balchin was also to liberate a convoy trapped by the French and clear the channel of privateers.
And then she was lost. fast forward 265 years and a team of marine explorers make an amazing breakthrough.

Odyssey Marine Exploration was conducting its Atlas Shipwreck Survey Project when the sidescan sonar pinged a wreck in May last year.
The area, which became known as Site 25C (covering 61x22 metres) was characterised by the discovery of bronze canons, 41 in all exposed on the seabed.

Plan of site 25C

The explorers noted the canons were dragged 90 degrees off their axis of the shipwreck and it became apparent that that which was exposed was being damaged by beam trawlers (it is thought most of the wreck is still hidden under the sands of the highly dynamic sea floor of shifting sand).

During the survey of 2,574sqm of the wreck site over 23 dives, the ROV found an anchor, copper kettle and gunners' wheels. But it was the bronze cannon that were the most important.

Of the 41 fully or partly exposed, at least eight bore the crest of King George I and one the crest of King George II. Some were between six and 24 pounders cannons but at least six were 42 pounders - the biggest guns of the day and saved for the mightiest of ships.

Two, codenamed C28 and C33 were raised to help with identification.

Cannons found and raised by Odyssey

The ship was ID'd in three ways. 1/ an examination of Royal Navy losses in the Channel with at least 41 guns. 2/ ID of ships that would have carried such armament with the crests of two Kings. 3/ A survey of first-rate Royal Navy warships lost throughout the world.

Each study led to "unavoidable conclusion" that it was the Victory.

So what about the loot?

Research shows that substantial quantities of merchants' gold were being carried on a regular basis from Lisbon to England on the larger Royal Navy ships during this period and it was reported at the time that the Victory had 400,000 Sterling on board (an estimated four tons of gold). It was also thought she was carrying valuable prizes from the ships she captured worth 120,000 pounds sterling at the time. It's current market value is estimated at a whopping ONE BILLION POUNDS. All this is thought to be buried beneath the underwater sand dunes which could hide more of the wreck.

For the full details (yes there is more) check out the 46 page report on Odyssey's website and the FAQs. It makes fascinating reading if you like marine archaeology and the solving of mysteries. And considering we spend a lot of out time on wrecks, it provides an in-depth view about what it takes to prove their identities.