Contract for Services in Relation to the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973): Diving investigations on the wreck of the Invincible.
Wessex Archaeology, 2012. https://doi.org/10.5284/1017436. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 1151
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1017436
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
The project involved archaeological survey and recording on the wreck of the Invincible, a 3rd Rate 74-gun warship which was lost in 1758. The work was carried out for English Heritage by Wessex Archaeology in 2003.
The project involved archaeological recording of the Invincible supplemented by photographic and video recording. The overall condition of the site was assessed and compared with previous observations of the site, including prior geophysical survey, which suggested that some change in sediment exposure had occurred. An additional anomaly lying to the south-east of the site was also surveyed; the results of this survey suggested that archaeological material in this area represented the remains of a wooden shipwreck although insufficient evidence was observed to determine whether the material was associated with the Invincible.
The dataset comprises databases relating to the diver recording system (DIVA) and ROV-track diver tracking, GIS shapefiles for the diver tracklogs, photographs, photo-mosaics and video stills.
HMS Invincible
The Invincible was a 3rd rate 74-gun ship of the line built in Rochefort in 1744. She was captured by Admiral Anson in the Battle of Finistere in 1747.
Due to her superior design she was purchased by the Royal Navy and commissioned as a 3rd rate ship of the line. In addition her lines were taken off and two new 74 gun ships, the Valiant and the Triumph, were built after her design in 1757.
In 1758 a jammed rudder caused the ship to run aground on Dean Sand. Despite several efforts the Invincible could not be made free. All guns and the crew were taken off, but the hull remained on Dean Sand.
The wreck of the Invincible was discovered in 1979 and designated in 1980.
Wessex Archaeology carried out multibeam sonar, magnetometer and sub bottom profiler surveys on the site in 2003. More information on this can be found in the Wrecks on the Seabed archive. The geophysical survey data is archived through the MEDIN Data Archive Centres (British Geological Survey and United Kingdom Hydrographic Office).
British Geological Survey archive ref: BGS_CMD_REF651
