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Legendary British warship HMS VICTORY 'found' (and UPDATES)

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Artemis
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« on: February 01, 2009, 08:27:43 pm »

Legendary British warship 'found' 


 
An artist's impression of how HMS Victory may have looked
A US-based salvage firm is believed to have found remains from the wreck of a legendary British warship which sank in the English Channel in 1744.

Odyssey Marine Exploration is expected to announce on Monday that it has found HMS Victory, the forerunner of Nelson's famous flagship of the same name.

The valuables from the vessel, including brass cannons, could be worth millions of pounds, some experts say.

If confirmed, the find could trigger a row with the British government.

The remains from HMS Victory have been reportedly found in international waters.

  We found this [the shipwreck] more than 50 miles (80km) from where anybody would have thought it went down

Greg Stemm
Odyssey Marine Exploration

But as a military wreck, they officially belong to the British state.

'Gold coins'

Ahead of the expected announcement at a news conference in London on Monday, Odyssey Marine Exploration's CEO Greg Stemm said the firm was negotiating with Britain over collaborating on the project.

"This is a big one, just because of the history," Mr Stemm was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"Very rarely do you solve an age-old mystery like this."

Mr Stemm declined to reveal the exact location of the warship's remains.

"We found this more than 50 miles (80km) from where anybody would have thought it went down," he said.

HMS Victory has been described by some maritime experts as "the finest ship in the world" at its time.

It sank with more than 1,100 seamen aboard, including Admiral Sir John Balchen, in a fierce storm off the Channel Islands.

The ship's exact location has since remained a mystery, despite numerous attempts by salvagers to find it.

The vessel had 100 brass cannons and reportedly some 100,000 gold coins on board.

In 2007, Odyssey said it had salvaged 17 tonnes of gold and silver coins, worth $500m (£343m), from a shipwreck in the North Atlantic.

The Spanish government later sued the company, claiming the the sunken ship was a famous 19th-Century Spanish galleon.

The case is pending.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7863840.stm

 
« Last Edit: March 23, 2009, 11:25:25 pm by Artemis » Report Spam   Logged

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Bianca
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« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2009, 06:43:30 am »










                                               The HMS Victory, Famed Shipwreck, Is Found






Time.com
Tue Feb 3, 2009

Under swirling clouds, its four-story hull illuminated by lanterns tied to its masts, the massive warship sinks beneath the waves. For more than two centuries, Peter Monamy's dramatic painting was one of the few images available of the tragic end of HMS Victory, which mysteriously disappeared, along with its crew of 1,100 men, one stormy night in 1744. Now, however, shipwreck salvage company Odyssey promises to fill out the picture. On Feb. 2, the Florida-based company announced it had recovered the Victory's remains.


"This is the most significant shipwreck discovery in history," says Odyssey president Greg Stemm. "It's the solution to one of the most intriguing naval mysteries in history, it went down with the most famous admiral of his time, it has the largest collection of bronze cannon in the world onboard and research suggests that it has one of the largest shipments of gold and silver that will likely ever be found on a shipwreck."(Read an interview with two Titanic wreck divers.)


There's the rub. As Odyssey has discovered before, where there is gold and silver, there is likely to be controversy as well. The publicly traded firm has repeatedly provoked the ire of archaeologists who complain that Odyssey is more interested in profit than in protecting historically valuable artifacts. Currently, the company is locked in a court battle with the country of Spain over ownership of the remains of a ship that experts believe to be the 17th-century Nuestra SeÑora de las Mercedes.


Built in 1737, the HMS Victory (a later version would be commanded by Admiral Nelson) was, in its day, the most powerful warship in the Royal Navy. In 1744, it was part of the fleet, commanded by war hero Admiral John Balchin, that broke through a French blockade of the Tagus river at Lisbon. Returning to England, a fierce storm hit the fleet, first separating the Victory from the other ships, and then sinking it, reportedly near the Channel Islands. The 1,100 sailors on board, as well as the sons of some of Britain's most prestigious families who had signed on for the merchant adventure, disappeared at sea.


After years of exploration, Odyssey located the wreckage about 62 miles (100 km) from the site where public opinion has long held that the Victory went down. That location, according to Stemm, helps clarify why the ship sank. "If it had run aground on the Casquets [an outcropping of rocks in the Channel], as historians have believed for over 250 years," he says, "it would have been because of a navigation error because the Casquets were far south of where the ship should have been. Since it obviously foundered in deep water, with a very experienced crew - it was almost certainly the construction of the ship that caused the loss."


For Admiral Balchin's descendants, the discovery comes as a wonderful surprise - and vindication. "For 12 generations we have wondered what really happened," says Sir Robert Balchin. "This astonishing find has brought it all back to life for us."


Not everyone is so enthusiastic, however. Dr. Jon Adams, director of the Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton worries that site preservation and scientific knowledge will be sacrificed in Odyssey's quest to unearth valuables. "I don't think they're the best people to be conducting this retrieval," he says. "They're in business to make money from what they find beneath the sea. They're basically treasure hunters."


Odyssey defends itself against those charges by noting that it hires experienced archaeologists for its expeditions, and observing that only commercial archeology has the resources to carry out expensive, time-consuming exploration. As for treasure, well, thus far the only booty recovered from the Victory are two cannon, including a historically valuable 42-pounder etched with the crest of George I. But according to one contemporary newspapers account, there was £400,000 of gold on board, not an unusual amount in a time when warships acted as the Brinks armored trucks of their day.


That gold could prove controversial. In 2002, Odyssey negotiated an agreement with the British government to share the value of any retrieved artifacts from a shipwreck believed to be the HMS Sussex. At the time, historians and archaeologists were outraged that the 'spoils' from the historically significant site would be divided and put in private hands, an outrage only increased by Odyssey's practice of selling artifacts individually in order to fund its expeditions. Noting that every coin is carefully catalogued so that no information is lost, Stemm defends the practice. "Selling these coins to pay for the archaeology and to save these shipwrecks from destruction is much better than asking taxpayers to foot the bill."


This time around, Odyssey again expects the British government to see things the same way, and is currently negotiating with the country's Ministry of Defence. But because Britain in 2005 adopted UNESCO's patrimony guidelines as 'best practice,' a Sussex-style agreement would come loaded with inherent conflict. "There's the problem, isn't it?" says Sarah Dromgoole, professor of maritime law at the University of Nottingham. "They should ensure that any agreement is in compliance with UNESCO guidelines, and that includes ensuring that a cultural heritage site is maintained intact."


That may be why Odyssey is hedging its bets this time around. In a press release, the company notes that the U.K. would retain the right to maintain intact any collection of artifacts, and may compensate the finders not with actual booty, but with payment for their value. James Goold, the attorney representing the Spanish government, finds the change interesting. "From my point of view, Odyssey is admitting what it knew all along but ignored in the case of Spain, which is that it can't claim sovereignty over a sovereign nation's possessions. Maybe they've learned a lesson."


Still, even if the gold controversy is resolved, the Victory presents one more twist that the Mercedes, at least so far, has not: Odyssey has discovered human remains at the site. In compliance with UNESCO guidelines that urge respect for gravesites, the company says its robotic diver re-buried the unearthed bones. Yet Sir Robert Balchin hopes they don't stay that way. "My own view is that the human remains should be brought up and properly buried on land," the Admiral's descendant says. "I think it's what John Balchin would have wanted."


As for his own interests, Sir Robert says he has none beyond preserving the memory of his ancestor, and would turn over any of the Admiral's belongings that might be recovered to a museum. "Of course," he adds thoughtfully, "if they wanted to give me a small bit of wood from the hull, I should be thrilled."
« Last Edit: February 03, 2009, 06:44:03 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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Bianca
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« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2009, 07:05:03 am »










                                  US firm seeks 'immediate' access to British warship treasure
         






FEB. 3, 2009
YAHOO NEWS

– The US firm which claims to have discovered one of the greatest British warships ever lost at sea said Monday it was seeking "immediate" permission to begin recovering artefacts from the wreck.

Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration said it discovered the final resting place of the HMS Victory last year in the English Channel and notified the British Ministry of Defence as soon as the team concluded it was the man-of-war which sank in a storm in 1744 with a crew of 1,150.

The exploration company said it was negotiating a collaboration agreement with the British government, which claims sovereignty over the ship thought to have been the most impressive war vessel of its time.

"The money is not as important as the cultural and historical significance of the discovery. It is a monumental event, not only for Odyssey but for the world," Greg Stemm, Odyssey's chief executive officer, told a news conference in London.

"It is probably the most significant shipwreck find to date. HMS Victory was the mightiest vessel of the 18th century and the eclectic mix of guns we found on the site will prove essential in further refining our understanding of naval weaponry used during the era," he added.

Odyssey said it feared the wreck was suffering substantial damage from natural erosion and extensive trawler-fishing and its contents could be lost unless they were brought to the surface as soon as possible.

The Victory's archeological treasures are prized by salvagers because they are believed to include 100 brass cannons, thought to be engraved with dolphins and the monogram of King George II, and a substantial amount of gold and silver.

"Rather than staying frozen in time beneath the waves, this unique shipwreck is fading fast," marine archaeologist Sean Kingsley, director of Wreck Watch International, said in a statement from Odyssey.

"The Victory lies in an area of intensive trawling, and her hull and contents are being ploughed away by these bulldozers of the deep day in, day out."

Odyssey said it found the wreck 100 metres (330 feet) under the English Channel, nearly 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Channel Islands site where the ship was historically believed to have been wrecked in a violent storm.

Jason Williams, executive producer of JMW Productions, which filmed the discovery, said: "Reports from the time say that the ship was carrying four tonnes of gold, around 400,000 sterling, which it picked up from Lisbon on its way to Gibraltar.

"Today this has a bullion value of 125 million pounds, but that is just its raw weight. That means it is worth about a billion dollars."
« Last Edit: February 03, 2009, 07:08:05 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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Bianca
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« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2009, 07:16:46 am »










                                        Wreck of HMS Victory 'recovered from Channel'






The shipwrecked predecessor to Lord Nelson's HMS Victory, which is thought to contain millions of pounds' worth of gold, is thought to have been found at the bottom of the English Channel.
 
By Jon Swaine
The Telegraph.co.uk
02 Feb 2009

ABOVE PHOTO:

A Bronze cannon on the shipwreck site of
HMS Victory bearing the royal crest of King George I,
in the English Channel Photo: AP
The Odyssey Explorer, owned by Odyssey Marine Exploration.
They codenamed the shipwreck 'Legend'

The ship, the fourth of six HMS Victories, sunk with its 1,150 sailors in October 1744 around The Casquets,
a group of rocks off the Channel Islands. Among other valuable artefacts, it is thought to contain 100,000 gold coins.

After months of secrecy, Odyssey Marine Exploration, a US company, is expected to confirm on Monday that the ship, codenamed "Legend", that it found in the area in May last year is in fact the Victory.

The announcement, at a press conference at Canary Wharf in London, is set to open a row over the contents of the ship, which is thought to be lying in international waters. Because it is a military wreck, the ship is protected by "sovereign immunity" and belongs to the state.

The company has struck a deal with the Government over a $500million (£346million) haul recovered from the wreck of the 17th-century HMS Sussex in the Strait of Gibraltar in 2007.

The move infuriated the Spanish government, which suspected the treasure - 500,000 gold and silver coins - had been taken from Spanish waters without permission.

The British Government's agreement over Victory is being drafted so that it is in line with the rules of UNESCO's Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence was reported to have told a newspaper that the Government would "negotiate" with the company. A spokesman would only say that "no intrusive action may be taken without the express consent of the United Kingdom".

Odyssey has raised two brass cannons from the wreck appearing to be from the Victory. Experts estimate the ship's 100 guns would now be worth between £10,000 and £20,000. It is also thought to be searching for the ship's gold coins.

Mike Williams, a law lecturer at Wolverhampton University and a member of the Nautical Archaeology Society, said: "If we allow Odyssey to go ahead with this operation, it will cause an uproar."

Odyssey Marine Exploration could not be reached for comment.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2009, 07:21:20 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2009, 07:26:15 am »










                                 Marine Experts Fear A Historic Legacy Could Be Lost



                                 If US Treasure Hunters Raise The Pre-Nelson Flagship





Vanessa Thorpe,
arts and media correspondent
The Observer,
Sunday 1 February 2009

The wreck of one of the most famous ships in British naval history has been discovered by a controversial US marine salvage company - a find that will fuel a major row about the UK's heritage.

HMS Victory, a warship known as "the finest ship in the world", went down with all hands in 1744 off
the Channel Islands and its exact location has remained a mystery for more than 250 years.

But now Odyssey Marine Exploration claims it has proof of the whereabouts of the wooden wreck, in which 1,100 seamen died during a fierce storm. The valuable remains, including 100 brass cannon,
would be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds today. After weeks of secrecy, Odyssey, an
American based commercial company which is regularly accused of exploiting historic shipwrecks,
plans to unveil artefacts retrieved from the wreck.

HMS Victory led the Channel fleet before Nelson's flagship of the same name and has been described this weekend as of "enormous financial value", as well as historic significance. Its brass cannon are estimated to be worth £10,000-£20,000 each.

Although the ship is thought to have been rediscovered in international waters, it is a military wreck
and therefore protected by "sovereign immunity" and so officially belongs to the state. If the British government decides to allow Odyssey to salvage the wreck for commercial gain, it will be flouting the rules of the appendix to a Unesco convention on nautical archaeology which aims to protect international heritage. Britain has not yet signed up to the full international convention, but it has formally agreed to follow the guidelines laid down.

"If we allow Odyssey to go ahead with this operation, it will cause an uproar," said Mike Williams, a
law lecturer at Wolverhampton University and member of the Nautical Archaeology Society. "A rumour has been going around for two or three weeks that they had found the Victory. People have been looking for it for years, and if Odyssey have done it then it will be extremely controversial. If they have found a cannon with the arrow mark that the Admiralty introduced into the dockyards at that time, that will go some way to proving they really have made this important find."

Historians and archaeologists claim that a wreck's most significant finds are not always the most valuable and are often destroyed in commercial salvage operations. A Council for British Archaeology spokeswoman said that the official receiver of wrecks had confirmed that Odyssey had found a cannon of the right era. "The ship was a very dramatic loss for Britain at the time and it would be of enormous financial value now."

The Odyssey treasure hunters worked in secret at the site of the find and will still not reveal its exact location. The Victory was codenamed "Legend" in correspondence, and the crew working on the wreck swore not to reveal its identity until the company announcement tomorrow.

The doomed flagship, which was returning from the Mediterranean after a skirmish with the French fleet, went down on 4 October 1744 after becoming separated from accompanying vessels. It is thought to have sunk after hitting Black Rock on the Casquets, off the island of Alderney. Not a soul survived. The ship's last moments were immortalised in an oil painting by Peter Monamy now at the National Maritime Museum.

Frigates searched for the lost ship, but to no avail; eventually parts of the topmast were washed up
on Guernsey. The Victory was built in Portsmouth and launched in 1737. It became the flagship of the Channel fleet in 1741 and was the last British first-rate vessel to be armed entirely with brass cannon..
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Bianca
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« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2009, 10:18:00 am »








In this photo released Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009 by Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc., the Odyssey Explorer
a deep-ocean archaeological platform is seen. Florida deep-sea explorers who found $500 million in sunken
treasure two years ago say they have discovered another prized shipwreck:

the legendary British man-of-war that sank in the English Channel 264 years ago.

Odyssey Marine Exploration hasn't found any gold this time, but it's looking for an even bigger jackpot.

The company's research indicates the HMS Victory was carrying 4 tons of gold coins.



(AP Photo/
Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc.)
« Last Edit: February 09, 2009, 10:20:11 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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