NAS member Leon Smith took a day off work to experience a Protected Wreck Day. Here, he writes about the unique experience he had, even if everything didn't go to plan.

Protected Wreck Days are one of the opportunities that the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) can offer for members to get 'up close and personal' with historic wreck sites which are not otherwise available to recreational divers.  These include HMS Invincible (which self-evidently wasn't invincible) and Hazardous Prize (which certainly was hazardous). 

The ship ultimately known as HMS Invincible was launched at Rochefort in France in 1744 as a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy sailing as L’Invincible.  Her innovative hull-form literally shaped the future of naval warfare during the Napoleonic era and inspired the design of three-quarters of Nelson's navy. 

She was captured by the Royal Navy on 14 May 1747 and then served as a third-rate ship of the line until she was wrecked after hitting a sandbank just outside of Langstone Harbour in February 1768. 

The wreck site was rediscovered in 1979 and, since 1980, has been protected by statute under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 managed by Historic England (formerly English Heritage).  Thanks to the Nautical Archaeology Sub-Aqua Club (NASAC), the NAS can offer the chance to dive on the wreck site from their custom dive RIB 'Honor'. 

Image: divers on the boat preparing for a dive

One of the perks of a Protected Wreck Day is to hear from the licensee about the history of the wreck and discover the behind-the-scenes investigations that are going on. Unfortunately, the current licensee for the site, Dan Pascoe, was not available on the day.  But NAS Chief Executive Officer Mark Beattie-Edwards was able to give a detailed dive briefing following a fascinating talk on the history and significance of the ship, as well as on the general layout of the wreck site.

 

 Image: Mark Beattie-Edwards giving his presentations and dive briefs.

And so, on a gloriously sunny October morning, we set off from Fort Cumberland with full SCUBA gear (and almost as many hoods as divers). 

 

Image: glorious day at Langstone Harbour

I have enjoyed various presentations given over a number of years regarding the ongoing research and preservation of artefacts recovered from the wreck of Invincible including at the annual NAS Conference.  However, nothing compares to actually being able to drop on to the site itself and explore the lattice of timber frames and planking which once formed part of one of the most technologically innovative weapons of war ever to set sail. Even if my head was a little chilly. 

Several guidelines were laid to help with navigation around the site and to aid in returning to the shot line which was dropped nearby at a depth of only around 7 metres.  Some of the most interesting features of the ship have been covered in sandbags to aid with in-situ preservation.  However, there is still plenty to see with remarkably well-preserved timbers which we explored from the port to starboard sides of the wreck. 

Thanks to a combination of Mark's earlier talk and presentation and some laminated underwater site plans, we were able to relate various features to the specific elements of the ship.  Even some of the cargo survives in the form of a number of wooden barrels which have been partially preserved where they were quickly buried in the shifting sands.  This all seems quite amazing for something which has been at the bottom of the Solent for more than a quarter of a millennium! 

 

Image: Site plan of Invincible

Back on the boat, after a generous dive time of 45 minutes, and everyone was excited to discuss details of the features they had seen and to try to relate these back to the site plan. 

After a suitable surface interval, it was time for the second dive – on another French warship. Hazardous Prize was launched by the French Navy in 1699 as Le Hazardeux.  She was a third-rate ship of the line which was captured by the English and later sunk in Bracklesham Bay in West Sussex in 1706. 

Sadly, we had used up all of our good luck on the weather during our first dive and the situation deteriorated in the afternoon. The visibility on the second dive of the day was reduced down to a reported 0.3m! This meant the dive was aborted.

Thanks to NASAC, the NAS will be back again diving both wrecks next year so there will be a 'next time' to try again - just don't forget your hood! 

 

Image: Author Leon Smith excited after a day's diving

In the meantime, details of work to date on the Invincible can be found online published by the charity the Maritime Archaeology Trust and licensee Dan Pascoe's Pascoe Archaeology: 

https://maritimearchaeologytrust.org/projects-research/hms-invincible-1758/  

https://pascoe-archaeology.com/portfolio/the-invincible/  

 And the investigations on Invincible can be explored on the Hazardous Group’s own website http://www.hazardousproject.info/ and the Open Access IJNA article https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10572414.2023.2255294  and these websites

https://maritimearchaeologytrust.org/projects-research/warship-hazardous/ 

https://pascoe-archaeology.com/portfolio/the-hazardous/