Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:45:25-1:45:52

What would determine a sunken HMS Victory's survival

A wooden wreck's survival depends on local salinity and biological decay, so depth and elapsed time alone cannot answer the question.

Heritage PreservationHMS VictoryMaritime ArchaeologyShipwrecks
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Question

How long might HMS Victory survive if she sank at the depth where USS Samuel B. Roberts was found?

Short answer

It would depend on salinity and biological decay, but a wooden Victory sunk there in 1805 would probably no longer survive.

Notes

A simple date-based estimate cannot show how long HMS Victory might last at the depth of USS Samuel B. Roberts. The bacteria present and the water's salinity would govern how rapidly the wooden hull decayed. Even with those measurements, any answer would remain an estimate rather than a fixed preservation clock. The broad judgement is that a Victory sunk there in 1805 would probably no longer survive.