HMS Victory Broadside

To celebrate the amalgamation of Royal Navy museums, a rolling broadside was fired by HMS Victory.

Discovery HMS Victory

Treasure Quest

The story behind a Florida marine archeology group’s discovery and exploration of the long-sought shipwreck of British warship HMS Victory, lost with all hands in a storm in 1744, is the subject of the documentary “Treasure Quest” scheduled to air 10 p.m. (ET) Thursday on The Discovery Channel.

1744 HMS Victory Discovered

This cannon was found by Odyssey Marine Exploration on the HMS Victory shipwreck in the English Channel.

Admiral Balchin's HMS Victory Discovered
Lost Without a Trace in 1744 - Mystery Solved

Odyssey Marine Exploration pioneers in the field of deep-ocean shipwreck exploration, has discovered the long-sought shipwreck of HMS Victory lost in 1744, solving one of the greatest mysteries in naval history.

The direct predecessor and inspiration behind Nelson’s flagship, Balchin’s Victory was the mightiest and technically most advanced vessel of her age. She sank during a storm in 1744 with all hands and was the last Royal Navy warship to be lost at sea with a complete complement of bronze cannon. Two of the greatest admirals in English history, Sir John Norris and Sir John Balchin, called her their flagship. Research indicates that Balchin’s Victory sank with a substantial amount of gold and silver specie aboard.

Having discovered it in deep water far from where history says it was lost has served to exonerate Admiral Balchin and his officers from the accusation of having let the ship run aground on the Casquets due to faulty navigation.

HMS VICTORY

HMS Victory was launched in 1765 at Chatham Dockyard and was commissioned in 1778. She continued in active service for the next 34 years which included her most famous moment-the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In 1812 the Victory was retired from frontline duty and anchored in Portsmouth Harbour, on the south coast of England. For the next 110 years the Victory remained at her moorings in Portsmouth Harbour fulfilling a combination of practical and ceremonial roles. In 1922, amid fears for her continued survival, the Victory was moved into Portsmouth's Royal Naval Dockyard and placed in No2 Dry Dock. Work then began on restoring the Victory to her 'fighting' 1805 condition and continues today. For the rest of the story Click Here.