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Pic: PhilYeomans/BNPS
32 and 24lb gun barrell 'wads' haves also been recovered along with their wooden markers.
Fascinating artefacts salvaged from a historic gun ship which sunk off the British coast 261 years ago have gone on display for the first time.
The French built ship is credited with transforming the Georgian Royal Navy after its capture in 1747 when trials revealed it was sleeker and better armed than British warships of the day.
Unfortunately HMS Invincible became wrecked on a shallow sand bank in the Solent in 1758 when en route to fhelp fight the French in Canada.
The wreck, which is three nautical miles from Portsmouth, Hants, was first discovered by a fisherman in shallow 25ft waters 40 years ago. However, changing sea bed levels in the past few years have left it more exposed to the elements, leading to fears the relics could deteriorate.
This prompted archaeologists to carry out a full scale excavation, with 1,458 dives taking place between 2017 and 2019 - during which nearly 2,000 artefacts were recovered.
The array of new finds, including the ship's enormous cutwater - the forward curve of the ship's stem - have now been unveiled at the MAST Archaeological Centre in Poole, Dorset. They will eventually go on display at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.
Mr Pascoe said the HMS Invincible's innovative longer, streamlined design was copied by the British who adopted it on their ships up until the Battle of Trafalgar (1805).
Pic: PhilYeomans/BNPS
32 and 24lb gun barrell 'wads' haves also been recovered along with their wooden markers.
Fascinating artefacts salvaged from a historic gun ship which sunk off the British coast 261 years ago have gone on display for the first time.
The French built ship is credited with transforming the Georgian Royal Navy after its capture in 1747 when trials revealed it was sleeker and better armed than British warships of the day.
Unfortunately HMS Invincible became wrecked on a shallow sand bank in the Solent in 1758 when en route to fhelp fight the French in Canada.
The wreck, which is three nautical miles from Portsmouth, Hants, was first discovered by a fisherman in shallow 25ft waters 40 years ago. However, changing sea bed levels in the past few years have left it more exposed to the elements, leading to fears the relics could deteriorate.
This prompted archaeologists to carry out a full scale excavation, with 1,458 dives taking place between 2017 and 2019 - during which nearly 2,000 artefacts were recovered.
The array of new finds, including the ship's enormous cutwater - the forward curve of the ship's stem - have now been unveiled at the MAST Archaeological Centre in Poole, Dorset. They will eventually go on display at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.
Mr Pascoe said the HMS Invincible's innovative longer, streamlined design was copied by the British who adopted it on their ships up until the Battle of Trafalgar (1805).
©BNPS 6 Dec 2019 4345x3513 / 2.5MB