HISTORIC documents and archaeological information about one of the country's most important shipwrecks are to become available to the public for the first time.
HMS Invincible was the first of six Royal Navy ships to carry the name, the last being the aircraft carrier that was decommissioned in 2005.
The wreck of the first Invincible was discovered in 1979 off Portsmouth, and marine archaeologists removed
artefacts from her, some of which can be found in Portsmouth's Royal Naval Museum and some at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
Until now documents, images, plans and notes detailing her excavation have been in private hands.
These will now be digitised and made publicly available thanks to a £47,800 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund obtained by the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology.
The ship was built in 1744 for the French navy. She carried fewer guns – 74 – than British warships but was larger and faster.
She was captured by the British in 1747 and used as a model for a new generation of ships, being used as flagship for six English admirals. She sank in February 1758.
The project will digitise and index the documents and transfer the information to CDs to be distributed to schools. Volunteers will be recruited to assist with the archiving.
An exhibition will be shown at Southsea Castle and Westbury Manor Museum in Fareham.
Senior archaeological officer Julie Satchell, from the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology, said: 'The project will ensure the Invincible archive will be safe for future generations.'
The full article contains 263 words and appears in The News newspaper.
