HMS Victory 1737
When people hear the name HMS Victory, their thoughts usually turn to Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. However, long before that famous ship sailed, there was another, the HMS Victory shipwreck of 1744.
This earlier first-rate warship, completed in 1737, was the most technically advanced vessel of her time, yet she would later meet a tragic fate beneath the English Channel.
Master Shipwright Joseph Allin
Victory was constructed at Portsmouth Dockyard by Master Shipwright Joseph Allin between 1726 and 1737. She was partly built using timbers from the previous Victory, which had caught fire during a breaming exercise.
The new Victory had a gun deck length of 174 feet and a cargo capacity of 1,921 tons (bm). She carried an unprecedented 100 bronze cannons, the largest consignment ever made, and would be the last ship to bear a full complement of bronze guns.
After the reign of King George I, the Royal Navy began phasing in iron cannons as a cost-cutting measure.
When launched in 1737, HMS Victory became the flagship of the Channel Fleet, which patrolled the English Channel to protect England from invasion.
Wrecked in 1744
In July 1744, under the command of Sir John Balchin, HMS Victory joined a convoy sent to Portugal to liberate a Mediterranean fleet that had been blockaded by Admiral de Rochambeau in the Tagus River.
The mission succeeded, but on her return voyage to England, tragedy struck. Victory was lost with all 1,100 hands on 5th October 1744.
At the time, it was believed she had been wrecked off the Casquets Rocks, a group of small, treacherous islets northwest of Alderney in the Channel Islands. Islanders reported hearing distress cannon fire and seeing wreckage marked “Victory” wash ashore.
Navigation errors were blamed, and the Casquets Lighthouse keeper faced a court-martial for allegedly failing to keep the lights burning.
Wreck Discovered
For the next 264 years, numerous expeditions tried to locate HMS Victory’s final resting place, without success.
Finally, in 2008, Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered and confirmed the wreck’s location over 60 miles west of the Casquets Rocks.
This revelation disproved the long-held navigation error theory. It is now believed that violent storms, the ship’s top-heavy design, and the weight of her cannons (and possibly gold cargo!) caused her to founder.
HMS Victory Artefacts
Odyssey Marine recovered two bronze cannons to confirm the wreck’s identity as HMS Victory (1744).
There are also persistent rumours that the site contains Portuguese gold and silver coins valued at up to £800 million.
Salvage Rights and Preservation
Odyssey Marine filed for exclusive salvage rights in a U.S. admiralty court, but despite the wreck lying outside UK territorial waters, it is classified as sovereign immune. Under international maritime law, warships and other government vessels remain the permanent property of the nation that built or operated them, even if they sink in foreign or international waters. As such, the UK government retains ownership of HMS Victory and control over any activities involving her wreck, effectively trumping Odyssey’s claim. No intrusive work can take place without UK consent.
Responsibility for sovereign British warships rests with the UK Government’s Ministry of Defence (MoD). Following the discovery, the MoD did not transfer ownership but instead granted custodianship of the wreck and all associated materials to the Maritime Heritage Foundation (MHF) in 2012. The MHF is a charitable organisation dedicated to preserving and studying historic shipwrecks “for the education and benefit of the United Kingdom.”
That same year, Odyssey Marine entered into an agreement with the MHF to fund archaeological surveys, conservation, and exhibition of HMS Victory (1744) and her artefacts. The partnership aimed to balance heritage preservation with public display of any recovered items.
However, before any salvage could begin, the project required a marine licence from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), the UK government body responsible for regulating activities that might affect the marine environment. In 2018, the MMO denied permission, deciding that the wreck should remain preserved in situ, undisturbed on the seabed.
The decision divided opinion. Supporters of the ruling view the HMS Victory shipwreck as a war grave and symbol of maritime history, while others believe careful recovery could protect artefacts from damage, trawling, or looting.
A Continuing Debate
The preservation of the HMS Victory shipwreck continues to divide historians and maritime archaeologists. Some argue that strong currents threaten to destroy historically valuable artefacts over time, and that fishing trawlers or looters could cause irreparable damage.
Indeed, a Dutch salvage company once recovered a bronze cannon from the site, which was later seized by French customs and returned to the UK.
Others, however, believe the wreck should remain undisturbed.
“This is the last resting place of 1,100 British sailors, and it should not be disturbed lightly.” – Robert Yorke, Chairman, Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee
Images courtesy of Victory1744 and Odyssey Marine Exploration
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