Nerja Today

HMS SUSSEX

HMS Sussex was an 80 gun warship launched at Chatham Dockyard on April 11th 1693. It was the flagship of Admiral Sir Francis Wheler and the pride of the Royal Navy. At the time, England was busy fighting the War of the Grand Alliance against France, but all was not going too well for King William III. What he needed was an ally to attack King Louis XIV on his poorly defended southern border, and the ideal candidate was Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy in north-western Italy. So, on December 27th 1693, HMS Sussex set sail from Portsmouth along with 48 other warships and 166 merchant ships. In the hold of HMS Sussex, in iron chests, was the necessary 'inducement' to ensure the co-operation of the Duke of Savoy, namely up to ten tons of gold and silver, which would be about 3,500 million euros in today's terms.

After a short stopover in Cádiz, the fleet entered the Mediterranean but, on February 27th, a violent storm erupted near the Strait of Gibraltar and on the third day, HMS Sussex sank to the bottom of the sea, taking her valuable cargo with her. All but two of the 500 strong crew perished, including Admiral Wheler whose body, according to popular legend, was found washed ashore near Gibraltar. He was still in his nightshirt. All told, 12 ships went down in the storm with the loss of some 1,200 souls. This monumental disaster, one of the worst in Royal Naval history, also meant that the Duke of Savoy never received his 'bribe'. A second attempt to transport gold to the Duke succeeded, but too late, he'd already accepted a counter-offer from the French and changed sides.

There have been many famous wrecks, many famous treasure ships, but it wasn't until 1995 that maritime historians began to take an interest in the sunken galleon, and the treasure, of course. Quite surprising really, considering the value involved. Odyssey Marine Exploration, based in Florida, commissioned researchers in various countries to scour the archives to discover the location of the wreck and, three years later, the search was on.

Millions of dollars later and after numerous expeditions, Odyssey had managed to locate over 400 items, ranging from modern plane engines to Phoenician wrecks and Roman sites which, although some turned out to be of great archaeological importance, were not the object of the exercise. Then, in 2002, they discovered a cannon. Most Spanish and French cannons of the period were made of bronze, but this one wasn't, and the location corresponded roughly to where HMS Sussex is believed to have sunk.

Odyssey Marine Exploration struck a deal with the British government in which, if it did turn out to be the wreck of HMS Sussex, the booty would be shared by the two parties. It is the first time any government has entered into an agreement with the private sector for the archaeological excavation of a sovereign warship. Odyssey is to get 80 percent of the proceeds up to $45 million, 50 percent from $45 million to $500 million and 40 percent above $500 million. The British government gets the rest.

The excavation of HMS Sussex, believed to be buried below the seabed at a depth of 1,000 metres, was originally due to begin in 2003. However, due to objections put forward by both the Spanish national government and the Junta de Andalucía, the start was delayed, and delayed, and delayed. Finally, in March 2007, all parties reached an agreement in which the UK Ministry of Defence and Junta de Andalucía will jointly choose a team of archaeologists to examine the wreck, just in case it turns out to be a Spanish galleon and not HMS Sussex.

Press Release
Agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom to carry out an underwater survey for the identification of the wreck of HMS Sussex Twenty-third of March 2007. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has the pleasure of announcing that Spain and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement in order to proceed to carry out an underwater archaeological survey in waters of the Alboran Sea for the identification of the wreck corresponding to HMS Sussex, a sovereign vessel of the English flag that shipwrecked in said sea in 1694.

This project, which will be carried out by the company Odyssey Marine Exploration, will follow rigorous archaeological protocols. The Junta de Andalucia will participate in it. Prior to the commencement of operations, a coordination meeting is scheduled for today between specialists nominated by the British Ministry of Defense and the Junta de Andalucia. Periodic coordination meetings are also scheduled to be held whilst the operations are being carried out. The Junta de Andalucia will name archaeologists to participate in said project. This participation by the Junta is intended to ensure that the project complies with all the applicable laws relating to the due protection of underwater cultural heritage.

The company Odyssey Marine Exploration, registered in the United States and having an exclusive contract with the Government of the United Kingdom for the archaeological project of the HMS Sussex, will carry out operations aimed at locating said shipwreck by virtue of the agreement reached.

In the event that it is proven that the ship is HMS Sussex, Spain will recognize that the wreck, its appurtenances and contents are the property of the United Kingdom by virtue of the rules of applicable International Law.

So, the easy bit is done! The wreck is buried in the seabed at a depth of around 1,000 metres and many archaeologists are still not convinced that a proper survey or investigation is feasible at this depth, even using the most sophisticated remote controlled equipment currently available, and advise waiting for new technological advances before proceeding. However, the British government and the American owned Odyssey Marine Exploration appear to be having none of this and seem keen to get things moving.

Note: Dates used here are all Gregorian Calendar. At the time of the actual shipwreck, the Julian Calendar was still in use in England which means that February 19th may also be correctly quoted as the date of the sinking of HMS Sussex.

For up to date information on progress, see www.shipwreck.net, the official site of Odyssey Marine Exploration.