Deep-sea shipwreck exploration company Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. has gifted HMS Victory to the Maritime Heritage Foundation. An agreement between the two organisations means that artifacts from HMS Victory will go on exhibition and an archaeological survey will be carried out. The agreement will also cover the conservation of the warship, the excavation and the financing.
HMS Victory was the flagship of Admiral Sir John Balchin. The 100-gun warship was sunk in 1744 with 1000 aboard and has remained under the sea since. The warship was discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2008 off the coast of Guernsey.
An extensive project design has been drawn up and once approved by the Maritime Heritage Foundation, fieldwork will begin in 2012. The Maritime Heritage Foundation will now take over the irresponsibility of the site.
Greg Stemm, CEO, Odyssey Marine Exploration, said:
“We are honored 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.”
HMS Victory was the flagship of Admiral Sir John Balchin. The 100-gun warship was sunk in 1744 with 1000 aboard and has remained under the sea since. The warship was discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2008 off the coast of Guernsey.
An extensive project design has been drawn up and once approved by the Maritime Heritage Foundation, fieldwork will begin in 2012. The Maritime Heritage Foundation will now take over the irresponsibility of the site.
Greg Stemm, CEO, Odyssey Marine Exploration, said:
“We are honored 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.”
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