RARE CARBINE Musket Ball Recovered From the 1758 ShipWreck
This a rare lead CARBINE musket ball recovered from the wreck of HMS Invincible which sank in 1758.
The ship carried mostly Brown Bess Muskets used by the sailors and marines in battle but this ball is smaller in size than the musket ball and was probably intended for a Carbine (short Barrel Musket) which had smaller bore barrel.
The ball comes in a fitted presentation box with Invincible on the lid, a short history of the wreck and also a certificate of authenticity sign by the cheif diver.
Less than 10% of the recovered lead ball were of this Carbine size.
The last two Photo's show the Carbine Ball on the left and the Musket Ball on the right of the picture for a comparison of size.
Over the next few years a major lottery funded new dive on the wreck site will be carried out to conserve items being uncovered again by the tides and this will have TV coverage, however it is very unlikely any items will be sold from this survey.
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I also have Boxed and Unboxed Musket ball, Cannon Flint and Rope from this Wreck.
The wreck of HMS Invincible lay covered and forgotten until in May 1979 a fisherman snagged his nets and got a local diver to investigate. The dives produced a wealth of store items in the preserved lower decks and most items were sold through a London auction house in the late 1980’s.
The 74-gun warship L’Invincible was captured from the French at the battle of Cape Finnisterre on the 3rd May 1747. She was escorting a massive convoy of merchant ships when the British channel fleet of 13 warships sighted the convoy and gave chase. L’Invincible took on six warships and only struck her colours when most of the crew were either dead or wounded. After capture she became the Royal Navy’s first HMS Invincible. At the time most warships were much smaller than the 74 gun HMS Invincible and France was ahead of Britain in ship development. Her design revolutionised British ship design and in 1747 there were no 74’s in the British Navy. By the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 three quarters of British ships of the line were 74’s .
In February 1758, HMS Invincible was part of a large fleet of warships and transports at anchor in St Helens Roads off the Isle of Wight. Early on the 19th the fleet sailed but unfortunately the Invincible struck the Horse Tail Sandbank. Over the next days stores and many guns were taken off the ship but finally on the 22nd February 1758 she rolled onto her side and was lost. Over the next 200 years the ship and her contents have slowly been effected by worm action and decay but the anaerobic conditions found a few inches below the surface of the bank have kept many wood items in incredible condition which is unusual on a wreck, and why such wood artefacts are very rarely found.
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