Maritime archaeologists are monitoring the timber remains of Lord Nelson’s favourite ship—HMS Agamemnon—216 years after it sank off Uruguay’s River Plate. Launched April 10, 1781, the 64-gunned ‘Eggs and Bacon’ was built from 2000 locally sourced English oak trees at Buckler’s Hard, serving at the Battle of Trafalgar during its 30-year naval career.
Working with teams from the University of Southampton, the Maritime Archaeology Trust, Bournemouth University, and UDELAR, a Uruguayan university, the Hon Montagu-Scott, Director of Buckler’s Hard, last year commissioned an international diving mission to study the remains of the wreck, discovered in 1993, 800 metres off the Uruguayan shoreline.
“I have always dreamt of seeing this wreck, as HMS Agamemnon is the only surviving wreck of a ship built at Buckler’s Hard in the world,” Montagu-Scott said, noting that much of the starboard side remained intact, with copper fastening still evident through the timber. “There are hopes of a return visit to the wreck later this year for a second survey, this time covering a wider area with the hope of finding the port side whilst monitoring the ongoing deterioration of the timbers.”
Montagu-Scott has created the ‘HMS Agamemnon – Navigating the Legend’ exhibition to tell the story of how the United Kingdom and Uruguay are working together to preserve the wreck, which is now at risk of being exposed to erosion, treasure hunters and shipworm decay.
“I have created this exhibition at Buckler’s Hard to promote and tell the story of how we will work jointly across nations to preserve the remains for future generations,” Montagu-Scott said. “The story is one that can bring our nations together, share the history, science and knowledge, and develop and celebrate our friendship through maritime archaeology.”
More about HMS Agamemnon
Remembered as Horatio Nelson‘s favourite ship, so named after the mythical ancient Greek king Agamemnon, she saw service in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary War, and the Napoleonic Wars. And despite Nelson’s fondness for the ship, it frequently needed repair and refitting and would likely have been hulked or scrapped in 1802 had the war with France not recommenced.
After fighting at the Battle of Trafalgar, as part of Nelson’s weather column, where it forced the Spanish four-decker Santísima Trinidad to surrender, it eventually found a home in South America where its worn-out and poor condition contributed to it being wrecked when, in June 1809, it grounded in an uncharted shoal in the mouth of the River Plate whilst seeking shelter with the rest of her squadron during a storm.
- To learn more about the Royal Navy’s use of oaks, click here for Wood Central’s special feature on HMS Victory, Lord Nelsen’s flagship, from October 2024.
