Harbour Guides
Home / News / How did HMS Victory Sink

How did HMS Victory Sink

Thursday August 13th, 2015
Image

Substandard building sank HMS Victory

Recent research suggests that sub-standard building using unseasoned timbers contributed to the sinking of the eighteenth century warship HMS Victory during a storm in the English Channel and the loss of the full ship’s complement of 1100 personnel.

 

The UK charity, the Maritime Heritage Foundation and the US-based archaeology company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, carried out the research and also concluded that design faults were also a contributing factor, the vessel being to narrow and too high with little underwater volume.

SHARE:
space
Comments (5)
17/06/2026 @ 6:11 am
Glen
Hiding dates is sloppy. The Royal Navy started prefixing HMS to ship names in 1789. Modifying the names of ships is misleading. An earlier ship named Victory sank in 1744. Using the wrong photo is bad faith. The image shows the one fully qualified HMS Victory, and that ship did not sink.
22/04/2025 @ 10:41 pm
Ray Cornwell
The fourth HMS Victory sank in the channel in 1744. This Victory (built in 1737) was a 100 gun first rate ship of a similar size to the fifth HMS Victory which is the one preserved in Portsmouth.
23/07/2024 @ 2:34 am
Joshua
There was another HMS Victory, Michael.
31/07/2023 @ 4:16 pm
Michael
The HMS Vicotry did not sink. Launched in 1765. It was still in the water and in use when in 1854, Victory sprang a leak, but was repaired. In 1887, she sprang a leak, but she was prevented from sinking at her mooring. The Vicotory was moved intact to a dry in 1922.
07/10/2019 @ 1:52 pm
NC
I think it's a sad history moment! : (
Add Your Comment

Most Recent News Items - View News Archive


BLUE PAGES
top