HMS Victory (1744) lies 50 miles off Alderney after striking the Casquets
The discovery in 2008 by Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) of the wreck site of Admiral Balchin’s HMS Victory which sank in 1744 was met with great interest by the Alderney Maritime Trust. It had long been thought by Alderney islanders that the ship had gone down as a result of it striking the Casquets in a violent storm; at approximately the same time gun fire had been heard and this led to the presumption that Victory was making a distress signal. In fact, the site where the wreck lies is about fifty miles west of Alderney. As the Trust is responsible for all wrecks in the waters around Alderney, we have prepared a document stating our position and support for the option to monitor the wreck in situ after selective recovery of items deemed to be at risk. AMT – HMS Victory: Our position (PDF).