Archaeologists salvage artefacts from sunken HMS Invincible
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The HMS Invincible revolutionised naval warfare at a time when Britannia ruled the waves. She proved the basis of Admiral Nelson’s greatest military success, when he conquered France and the Napoleonic Empire onboard the appropriately named HMS Victory. The Victory was based on the Invincible, a groundbreaking ship ironically stolen from the French.
It was from the French that 18th Century Britons learned of the importance of organisation and discipline, and more importantly how to design ships in an ever changing naval world.
L’Invincible, as she was known by the French, was built in Rochefort in 1744, and captured three years later at the battle of Cape Finisterre.
The Royal Navy immediately sailed her to Portsmouth’s famous naval dockyard where they measured her from top to bottom — she had two long decks with widely spaced gun ports for 74 guns, and could sail faster, turn quicker and carry more guns than any British ship.
The Invincible became a blueprint for future British ships, and by the time Nelson went to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, 16 out of 27 ships in his fleet were Invincible’s descendants.
However, Invincible had become wrecked 47 years earlier after running aground on Dean Sands in the Solent.
The crew had spent several days trying to refloat her, but ultimately failed, eventually accepting defeat and doing their utmost to salvage anything valuable.
In May 1979, a fisherman off the Hampshire coast caught his nets on something, and returned a few weeks later to confirm it was indeed the Invincible, just three miles off Portsmouth.
Excavations initially began in the Eighties, with a team returning from 2017 until 2019 followed by camera crews for Channel 5’s documentary series ‘Digging Up Britain’s Past’.
Marine archaeologist Dan Pascoe led a team that carried out more than 1,000 dives in the Eastern Solent, using a guide rope to take them down to the wreck each time.
Raksha Dave, an archaeologist and the programme’s presenter, said she could still “picture the sailors” aboard the Invincible, such was its remarkable preservation.
She said: “The Invincible was 52 metres long and its remains are now spread over an area roughly equivalent to half a football field.
“The ship’s so well preserved, you can almost picture the sailors walking along these planks.”
DON’T MISS:
Archaeology: Nazi U-boat wreck ‘beats Tutankhamun’ [QUOTES]
Archaeologists puzzled by ransacked burial chamber inside pyramid [INSIGHT]
Ancient Rome’s ‘best kept secret’ revolutionised Italian capital [REVEALED]
The Invincible had become a forgotten national treasure on the Solent seabed for 260 years.
She was submerged in the mud that lies beneath the shifting layers of sand in the Solent.
The mud contains very little oxygen, meaning the bacteria that typically cause things to rot cannot survive.
This is why many of the artefacts found on the Invincible are so well preserved, with archaeologists finding perfectly in-tact woollen clothing and leather shoes among a host of other things.
Not all artefacts discovered, however, were in such an impressive state.
After the last series of excavations, Ms Dave was shown a number of relics which she said looked “like a pile of twigs and bits of string”.
Mr Pascoe told her that they were in fact an “important assemblage of artefacts”.
The heads of mops and brooms and a wooden bucket were among some of the artefacts hauled up from the seabed, all of which were found in the ‘broom cupboard’ area of the ship.
Mr Pascoe said these further stressed the organisation for which the Invincible became renowned.
In a previous interview with Express.co.uk last year, Mr Pascoe said: “They were very organised and disciplined, and life onboard wasn’t as terrible as everyone says.
“Actually it was quite well ordered, and things were well maintained and kept.
“It wasn’t this ‘everyone’s dying’ and had scurvy. It was a hard life but it wasn’t as revolting as everyone makes out.”
Recovered items are now on display at the ‘Diving Deep: HMS Invincible 1744’ exhibition at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
Source: Read Full Article
