HMS Invincible
Introduction
In late 2009 the HWTMA launched a Heritage Lottery funded project to save the archive of one of the Solent's most important excavated shipwreck archives. The first HMS Invincible (1758) lies in the eastern Solent and since 1979 has been the object of an extensive excavation and research project by a small and dedicated team of enthusiasts.
The resulting documentary and material archive was kindly loaned to us by Commander John Bingeman, and we are pleased to present the results of this project that ensures the long-term survival of the archive. It also enables public access to a nationally important heritage resource.
Invincible History
HMS Invincible began life as the French warship L'Invincible and was launched at Rochefort, France, in 1744. With two decks, 74 guns, and a crew of 700 this was the elite fighting ship of the day. Such fire power could outmatch all but the largest three deck warships and was coupled with the speed and agility of much smaller vessels, making L'Invincible a far superior design. The introduction of the 74s became the backbone of the Fleet for over half a century and sixteen such vessels were present at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
In 1747 L'Invincible was escorting a French East India convoy to India that was intercepted by a British squadron led by Admiral Anson off the north coast of Spain. Though hopelessly outnumbered Captain St Georges' crew fought valiantly and L'Invincible was the last ship to strike its colours at the Battle of Cape Finisterre.
As a British prize, HMS Invincible was the flag ship of three Admirals, took part in two French wars and served as far away as the West Indies and Nova Scotia. Despite seeing little combat, the ship's powerful attributes meant that its fourteen year sailing career included a variety of roles from flagship to fast troop transport.
The Wreck
On February 19th 1758, Admiral Boscawen's fleet set sail from Portsmouth bound for Nova Scotia on a second attempt at taking the French fort of Louisbourg. Invincible was to take part in this successful mission, but never left the Solent. After a calamitous series of events the esteemed warship ran aground on Dean Sand and despite continuous attempts at refloating, the hull was flooded and fell over on the beam ends in gale force winds with seas breaking over the top.
After all that could be salvaged was retrieved Invincible settled into the sandbank and became entombed for the next 221 years. In 1979, Arthur Mack, a local fisherman with a prolific record of identifying archaeological sites from the earliest to the most recent, brought up some remarkable timbers after snagging his nets on a sandbank in the eastern Solent. The area, now known as Horse Tail, was dived by local divers Jim Boyle and John Broomhead, and later by Commander John Bingeman who organised the ensuing excavation campaign for more than a decade..
The team successfully identified the extensive wreck and formed The Invincible Committee (1758) to research and excavate the site. In September 1980 HMS Invincible was designated as a Historic Shipwreck under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.
The Archive Project
In ten years of diving and research several thousand artefacts were raised and a representative collection featuring one example of each is held at Historic Dockyard Chatham.
Until recently, the vast quantity of documentary records has not been as easy to access. The Hampshire & Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund have been making this research archive publicly available by copying, sorting and digitising the great quantity of dive logs, site plans and artefact records and enabling public access on-line via the Archaeology Data Service (ADS). We have also re-photographed the majority of the artefacts from Chatham's representative collection, which has been a significant addition to the current archive of thisimportant ship.
In keeping with the aims of the Trust this work successfully employes a large number of volunteers, increasing public interaction with maritime heritage and developing the skills and interests of those involved.
The end result of this work is a web-based on-line archive that requires no extra software or plugins, using only a simple browser to view and explore the artefacts and documents. In this way, thanks to the work of Cmdr Bingeman and his colleagues, and despite sinking beneath the waves just over 250 years ago, HMS Invincible has truly become an accessible maritime resource that anyone can learn about European maritime culture and enjoy.
References & Further Reading
Fenwick, V. and Gale, A. 1998. Historic Shipwrecks. Discovered, Protected and Investigated. Stroud: Tempus.
Lavery, B. 1988. The Royal Navy's First Invincible. The ship, the wreck and the discovery. Portsmouth: Invincible Conservations (1744-1758) Ltd.
Read all about it!- Invincible in the News
Portsmouth News 25/02/09
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/agenda/New-life-for-wrecked-Invincible.5014467.jp
Isle of Wight County Press 16/01/09
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/shipwreck-story-goes-public-at-last-24075.aspx
