Another Historic Shipwreck Found

In 1744, the British Royal Navy was the mightiest of them all, in part because of ships like the Her Majesty's Ship (HMS) Victory. The HMS Victory was "the world's mightiest and most technically advanced warship" of it's time. Its sinking has been called "one of the greatest mysteries in naval history", until now.

Odyssey Marine Exploration believes they have found the wreck of the HMS Victory, and its location is nowhere near where the Victory was thought to have sunk. Originally, the ship was believed to have sank in Channel Islands near the French coast. Odyssey Marine Exploration has found the wreckage in the English Channel almost 62 miles from the Channel Islands. Historians believed that Admiral Sir John Balchin and his crew ran the ship aground on a reef due to mistakes and faulty navigation, but Odyssey's discovery in the deep waters of the English Channel indicate the ship may have sank in a violent storm. The design of the ship is believed to have played a part in the ship's demise.

The HMS Victory's crew numbered almost 1,000 men. A crew this size was virtually unheard of in 1744 when the ship went down. The ship has been identified by artifacts near the site including a 42 pounder cannon. The ship itself is unrecoverable. Like the Titanic, the ship was believed to be unsinkable.

To read the complete story by Josh Levs, please visit Treasure Hunters Claim Historic Warship Found on CNN.com