HMS Victory found

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Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

They have found the wreck of HMS Victory, reckoned to be holding a billion dollars worth of gold Shocked

, nice finders fee for the finder there Cool

Hard to believe that a 1000 men lost their lives when it sank in 1744.

Quote:

Billion dollar' wreck discovered

A shipwreck believed to contain more than a billion dollars of gold has been discovered at the bottom of the English Channel.

HMS Victory, the legendary British warship which was the predecessor to Lord Nelson's Victory, sank during a storm in 1744, taking more than 1,000 sailors to their deaths.

The ship's location remained a mystery despite numerous searches, until Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered the wreck in May 2008.

The Florida-based firm found the site 330ft under the English Channel, nearly 100km from where the ship was historically believed to have been wrecked, near the Channel Islands.

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, but that is just its raw weight. That means it is worth about a billion dollars."

The Ministry of Defence has given the company permission to go back down to the wreck to try to find the treasure.

The British Government will legally own any gold that is recovered, but Greg Stemm, chief executive officer of Odyssey Marine Exploration, said he was in negotiations and would expect to be rewarded for the find.

Mr Stemm said: "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.

"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."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090202/tuk-billion-dollar-wreck-discovered-6323e80.html

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 6:39 pm

When I saw the title, I was about to post something along the lines of 'It's never been lost, I've been aboard it at Portsmouth'. I never knew there was an HMS Victory before the Nelson one.

I look forward to the documentary, and hopefully some of the booty going on show.

Elite Baiter Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 1407

I've already sent my $10,000 via WU to ensure I have first dibs. Too bad you didn't act first.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Roycropper wrote:

I look forward to the documentary, and hopefully some of the booty going on show.

Yeah, same here, hopefully they will be able to bring some sections of the boat up, depending on how well preserved it is.

I was watching an underwater archaeological excavation program about a week ago, think it was off the coast of Scotland, some of the woodwork on that ship was in pristine condition, all the fancy carving was as it was the day the ship went down, including one ornate panel from the back of the ship with a carved woman on it, must have been about 12 feet long, they have now covered it over on the seabed with protective sheeting to stop sand abrasion, and plan to bring it up next year when the weather conditions are better.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Cool stuff. In my younger years I followed the adventures of Mel Fisher. I still own a "Piece of Eight" from the Atocha. The days of "tall ships" have always fascinated me.