Secrets of the Solent’s Historic Shipwrecks

The Dever Valley Local History Society presented a lecture by The Maritime Archeology Trust Project Officer, Jasmine Noble-Shelley to explore the stories of some of the shipwrecks of the Solent. Approximately 7,500 years ago the estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, with waters merging from the Rivers Meon, Hamble, Itchen and Test. Eventually the land sinks and the estuary of the Solent was established. The Isle of Wight became separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge between The Needles on the island and Old Harry Rocks on the mainland was eroded. Today the Solent is a major maritime route and an important area for fishing.

In 1973 The Protected Wrecks Act was introduced making it a crime to tamper with or remove parts of a sunken vessel or its contents. The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archeology was founded in 1991, recently celebrating 30 years of protecting wrecks. 106 sites have been identified, many are war grave sites, also protected. In 2017 The Trust took over management of the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum.

Invincible is the first of six ships to bear that name. The French ship carried a crew of 700 and 74 guns arranged over two decks, and was used as an escort vessel. On 14th May 1747 it was captured at the 1st Battle of Cape Finisterre, waged during the War of the Austrian Succession. An attack by 14 British ships was led by Admiral George Anson against a French 30 ship convoy commanded by Admiral de la Jonquiere. The French were attempting to protect their merchant ships by using warships sailing with them. The British captured 4 ships of the line, 2 frigates and 7 merchantmen in a five hour battle in the Atlantic off Cape Finisterre in north-west Spain. Despite being a modern ship of superior design with an iron hearth and copper sheathing for longevity, L’Invincible, though it had fought valiantly, was captured by the British as a war prize, recommissioned as Invincible and then put into the Royal Navy. The ship became a model for 74 gun vessels for over 50 years. 16 such ships were present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

On February 19th 1758 Admiral Boscawen’s fleet set sail from Portsmouth bound for Nova Scotia on a second attempt to take the French fort of Louisbourg. Invincible should have taken part but never left the Solent. She sank in a severe storm, becoming firmly wedged in sand. At a court martial captain and crew were exonerated from all blame. In 1979 the ship was found by fishermen and divers began an experimental search. Over years sands shift as tides change and Invincible was damaged by another wreck, there were no plans to raise it. Many items were found including eating utensils, and tankards, elements of rigging, rope and gunpowder. During the

1980s and 90s an excavation was led by John Bridgeman and in 2022 finds were displayed in the Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Ms Noble-Shelley continued with stories of the discoveries of the warship Hazardous c 1698, 54 guns, again a vessel captured from the French Navy discovered in 1977; and the Flower of Ugie, a British ship carrying coal to Cathegena in Spain which sank Monday 27th December 1832 and was discovered in 2003 by a fisherman. The history of these vessels gives a vivid picture of the maritime powers and activities during a period of immense commercialisation and colonisation from Britain and Europe.

Hendrika