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Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
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Historic shipwreck is found
Source: Agencies |
February 3, 2009, Tuesday
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DEEP-SEA explorers who found US$500 million in sunken treasure two years ago say they have discovered another prized shipwreck: a legendary British man-of-war that sank in the English Channel 264 years ago.
The wreckage of the HMS Victory, found below 100 meters of water, may carry an even bigger jackpot. Research indicates the ship was carrying four tons of gold coins when it sank in a storm, said Greg Stemm, co-founder of Odyssey Marine Exploration, yesterday in London.
So far, two brass cannons have been recovered from the wreck, Stemm said. The Florida-based company said it is negotiating with the British government over collaborating on the project.
"This is a big one, just because of the history," Stemm said. "Very rarely do you solve an age-old mystery like this."
Thirty-one brass cannons and other evidence on the wreck allowed definitive identification of the HMS Victory, a 53-meter sailing ship that was separated from its fleet and sank in the English Channel on October 4, 1744, with at least 900 men aboard, the company said. The ship was the largest and, with 110 cannons, the most heavily armed ship of its day.
Odyssey was searching for other valuable shipwrecks in the English Channel when it came across the Victory. Stemm wouldn't say exactly where the ship was found for fear of attracting plunderers, though he said it wasn't close to where it was expected.
"We found this more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from where anybody would have thought it went down," Stemm said.
The wreckage of the HMS Victory, found below 100 meters of water, may carry an even bigger jackpot. Research indicates the ship was carrying four tons of gold coins when it sank in a storm, said Greg Stemm, co-founder of Odyssey Marine Exploration, yesterday in London.
So far, two brass cannons have been recovered from the wreck, Stemm said. The Florida-based company said it is negotiating with the British government over collaborating on the project.
"This is a big one, just because of the history," Stemm said. "Very rarely do you solve an age-old mystery like this."
Thirty-one brass cannons and other evidence on the wreck allowed definitive identification of the HMS Victory, a 53-meter sailing ship that was separated from its fleet and sank in the English Channel on October 4, 1744, with at least 900 men aboard, the company said. The ship was the largest and, with 110 cannons, the most heavily armed ship of its day.
Odyssey was searching for other valuable shipwrecks in the English Channel when it came across the Victory. Stemm wouldn't say exactly where the ship was found for fear of attracting plunderers, though he said it wasn't close to where it was expected.
"We found this more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from where anybody would have thought it went down," Stemm said.
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