As expected, Odyssey Marine, the plundering American ‘marine exploration’ company are intent on raising HMS Victory from its resting place in the English Channel.


Using the cynical argument that fishing is damaging the wreck site, they want merely to get at the estimated $1bn of gold that the ship is said to hold. Have a look at the BBC article and listen to their CEO try to justify an operation to raise the wreck.

This is the company that plundered gold from a Spanish ship but was then ordered to hand the treasure back to Spain (see BBC article here). They are clearly trying to make their claim appear legitimate to the UK government and the Ministry of Defence, but they are well known for their tactics and are unlikely to be able to dive on the wreck, let alone bring anything further to the surface.

A number of concerned groups have contacted the authorities to express their concern and offer professional (and non-commercial) assistance in the archaeology and conservation of the wreck and the artefacts contained within it.

Read more about the Alderney Elizabethan Wreck