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The First HMS Invincible (1747-58): Her Excavations (1980-1991)

by John M Bingeman

In 1980, following the discovery of a wreck off the south coast of England by a local fisherman, John Bingeman applied for a Government Protection Order and subsequently identified the ship as the Royal Navy's first Invincible (1747-58).

Invincible was a 74-gun warship that came to grief on Sunday the 19th February 1758 off Portsmouth. She was sailing as part of the expedition to besiege the French Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. This was the beginning of a progressive series of military operations leading to the eventual colonisation of Canada. The Ship, brought into British service when only three years old, was the first newly designed 74-gun warship to be captured from the French. It represented a significant step forward in ship construction and was to become the prototype for a new generation of British men-of-war. In 1758 when Invincible foundered, she was a British ship-of-the-line fully equipped for an expedition abroad. Although her guns and much of her equipment were salvaged at the time, she was subsequently abandoned with a considerable amount of equipment still onboard.

This volume includes a description of Invincible's building as a French warship, her capture in 1747 by the Royal Navy, her foundering in the Solent, and the 1979-1990 excavations of the wreck site. Particular attention is paid to the artefacts recovered, which have provided naval archaeologists and historians with a time capsule of equipment aboard a warship in the mid-18th century. In addition, because Invincible was carrying troops to Canada, the wreck site contained regimental equipment, including army buttons that pre-dated previously accepted dates and are therefore of great significance to army historians. 208p, 389 b/w & colour illus. (Oxbow Books 2010)

Review Quotes

"Descriptions of the excavations, illustrated with a range of sketches and drawings, some taken directly from diving logs, give a closeness to the experience of excavation rarely encountered in publications on underwater shipwrecks."

Nigel Nayling
British Archaeology (Nov/Dec 2010)

"...[This book] should appeal to a wide audience including scholars of maritime and naval history, divers, archaeologists and the general public."

Lynn B. Harris, East Carolina University
Nautical Research Journal (June 2011)

"[a] quality piece of work about a noteworthy vessel with heavy implications for historians and archaeologists alike.[...]Undergraduates, graduates and professional archaeologists will find Bingeman's account useful as well as fascinating. Those interested in maritime history, ship construction, archaeology or just in history will also find this a valuable resource."

Benjamin Wells; Pensacola, FL
The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord (Januay 2011)

"A marvellous book which provides a historical link between HMS Victory and the Mary Rose, and which reflects the extraordinary dedication and determination of its author."

Royal Naval Sailing Association Journal (April 2010)

"An invaluable case study for underwater archaeologists and naval historians."

Steve Weinman
Diver Magazine (April 2010)

"Bingeman's book will be welcome addition to the shelves of anyone with an interest in 18th-century ships, seafaring, and naval technology. He is to be congratulated for wrapping up years of research and providing present and future scholars with much new material on this important ship."

Kevin Crisman, Texas A&M University
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2011)

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