Maritime archaeology on the warship Hazardous in Bracklesham Bay
During the stormy winter Tuesday morning of 19 November 1706, Her Majesty's Ship
Hazardous
was wrecked in Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex. Having missed anchorage in St Helen's Roads to the East of the Isle of Wight the previous evening, the ship was blown by strong Southern winds across the bay until there was no option but to drive her on shore as far as possible in an attempt to save ship and crew.
Built in the L'Orient shipyard, this ship started life in 1701 as the French Third Rate ship, le Hazardeux. In 1703 she was loaned by the State to a privateer, was captured and commissioned into the English Navy. She crossed the Atlantic three times, once in each phase of her sailing life of less than six years.
Although a gun was raised from the vicinity of the site in 1966, the wreck was not located by divers until stumbled upon by members of Sub-Aqua Association (SAA) 308 in 1977. Artefacts found dated the wreck to the late 17th or early 18th century and pointed towards the wreck being that of Hazardous.
On 21 Aug 1986, the wreck was designated a protected site under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. Further extensions were added in 1988 and 2017.
The Hazardous Project Group was formed to investigate, survey and catalogue the wreck. It is a small group of dedicated avocational divers working under licence, often challenged by diver availability, weather and sea state.
NOTE FOR VISITORS: This is a total rewrite of The Hazardous Project web site and replaces the previous one. If you have any comment or suggestions concerning the content or the structure of the site, please contact the licensee of the project, whose details are given in the Project section.
Built in the L'Orient shipyard, this ship started life in 1701 as the French Third Rate ship, le Hazardeux. In 1703 she was loaned by the State to a privateer, was captured and commissioned into the English Navy. She crossed the Atlantic three times, once in each phase of her sailing life of less than six years.
Although a gun was raised from the vicinity of the site in 1966, the wreck was not located by divers until stumbled upon by members of Sub-Aqua Association (SAA) 308 in 1977. Artefacts found dated the wreck to the late 17th or early 18th century and pointed towards the wreck being that of Hazardous.
On 21 Aug 1986, the wreck was designated a protected site under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. Further extensions were added in 1988 and 2017.
The Hazardous Project Group was formed to investigate, survey and catalogue the wreck. It is a small group of dedicated avocational divers working under licence, often challenged by diver availability, weather and sea state.
NOTE FOR VISITORS: This is a total rewrite of The Hazardous Project web site and replaces the previous one. If you have any comment or suggestions concerning the content or the structure of the site, please contact the licensee of the project, whose details are given in the Project section.