21477: Ayiti Libere: Divers locate pirate Morgan's lost ship Apr 22 2004 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Ayiti Libere <ayitilibere@yahoo.com>

Divers locate pirate Morgan's lost ship

Apr 22 2004

David Williamson, The Western Mail


AN international dive team shivered in excitement when
they spied the timbers of a wreck belonging to one of
the most famous buccaneers of all time.

They discovered the remains of Welshman Captain Henry
Morgan's lost frigate, HMS Oxford, off the coast of
Haiti.

Oxford sank in 1669 as the result of an explosion
believed to have been ignited by a celebratory pig
roast.

The 34-gun ship had been sent to Morgan by King
Charles II following his appointment as Admiral in
Chief of the Confederacy of Buccaneers.

Having previously gained a fearsome reputation as a
naval strategist and ruthless pirate operating against
Britain's enemies, Spain, France and Holland, Morgan
eventually become Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. He
died there in 1688.

Rick Haupt and Bruce Leeming of Ocean Discovery
Network led the team that discovered HMS Oxford, lying
in 12 feet of water.

The team found another of Morgan's ships, the Jamaica
Merchant, in 1999 and this led them to search for
Oxford.

Finding the 150ft-long ship took painstaking research.
They looked closely at the island of Isle a Vache near
Haiti, where Oxford was moored alongside two other
warships from a 10-strong flotilla before the
accident.

Then they eliminated areas which would have been
unsuitable for such a large fleet.

Research and funding came in part from the
co-producers of the one-hour documentary on the
discovery, ITV1 Wales, S4C and S4C International. The
programme will be broadcast later this year.

A full archaeological survey of the site is due to
take place, while Ocean Discovery Network plans to
lobby the United Nations to declare the wreck a World
Heritage Site.

Programme producer, Paul Calverley, said, "The
discovery of HMS Oxford is an event of real historical
significance, particularly to the Caribbean. It's also
one of the greatest finds a diver could have.

"We don't expect to find any treasure but there are a
large number of artifacts such as cannons, drawer
handles, muskets, musket balls and powder barrels."

Source:

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=14169067&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=divers-locate-pirate-morgan-s-lost-ship-name_page.html




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