THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
The new free exhibition HMS Agamemnon – Navigating the Legend has opened for visitors at the beautiful village of Buckler's Hard on the banks of the Beaulieu River.
Times are changing at the historic village and visitors can now enter for free, as they slow to Buckler's Hard's pace and enjoy a picturesque stroll with stunning views of boats on the river. The Shipwright's Cottage and charming St Mary's Chapel, with its smugglers' cellar beside the altar, are also open to explore for free.
In the new exhibition HMS Agamemnon – Navigating the Legend in the Shipwrights Workshop, discover how nations are working together to preserve the world's only surviving wreck of a ship built at Buckler's Hard. See a film of the story, model of the 64-gun ship and artefacts from Nelson's favourite vessel, affectionately known as 'Eggs and Bacon' by her crew.
Buckler's Hard Director, the Hon. Mary Montagu-Scott created the exhibition as part of an international project to save the wreck of HMS Agamemnon, which is now at risk of being exposed to erosion, treasure hunters and ship worm decay.
HMS Agamemnon was built at Buckler's Hard from 2,000 oaks and launched there in 1781. She fought in the Battle of Trafalgar and served the Royal Navy for nearly 30 years, before sinking without trace after being wrecked off the coast of Uruguay – then rediscovered in 1993.
Now invasive whelks from the Indo-Pacific have eaten the native mussels which covered the wreck for over 200 years. A team of maritime archaeologists, led by Prof Jon Adams at the Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton, has joined forces with experts from Uruguay to apply for permission to survey the wreck to see how to preserve her.
Uruguay Ambassador César Rodriguez Zavalla and Naval Defence Attaché Captain Frederick Fontanot visited Buckler's Hard to open the exhibition. Project partners include UNESCO, OCEANIDS in Uruguay, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Maritime Archaeology Trust in Southampton and Department of Archaeology at Bournemouth University.
