Location of the lost HMS Apollo (1779) found

[Landrotten Highlander]

Was just reading in a Belgian newspaper about a Dutch team of archeologists excavating canons and othe equipment from the HMS Apollo, which sank on 06JAN1779.

The ship ran aground on the shallow island of 'Razende Bol' off Texel.  In an effort to save the ship the captain decided to dumb the conons overboard - but it was to no avail and the ship sank below the surface.  Now erosion has revealed the remains of the ship.

The team is in negotiation with the British Navy to allow to exhibit the findings in the Texel museum 'Kaap Skil', Oudeschild, The Netherlands this summer - provided the COVID situation is under control.

[Ernesto]

This is the HMS Apollo built in 1794 and sunk in 1799 of the Artois class.
Found by the Dutch Northseadivers. They have done a lot of research on this wreck.

[jchbeiner]

I haven't been able to find any stories about the wreck in English yet, but here are a few Dutch sources... wonderful stuff!

 

NorthSeaDivers log for the wreck site, short summary of the location and identification of the ship including a useful outline of the remaining wreck overlaid on Apollo's draught:

https://www.northseadivers.nl/logboek/219-his-majesty-s-ship-apollo-1794.html?fbclid=IwAR2o1jGVn7H0xNFaRuI9Cq3G-JO_7x17ptQlTnCZUTTOpxh6I-J7ztYm1_I

 

There's a short video diving the wreck on this site: 

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/01/06/kanonnen-van-brits-oorlogsschip-hms-apollo-bovengehaald-uit-bode/

Just a guess, but it seems like there's a chain pump visible among the guns.  The remaining wreck appears to be in wonderful condition.

 

Another video on NorthSeaDivers facebook: https://fb.watch/2-tuQA87I9/ almost entirely viewing the ship's guns on the seabed

 

Site outlining a few finds from the wreck (including two remarkable bayonet scabbards & cartridge bags) from last summer(?), which seem to be bound for Kaap Skil, on loan from England:

https://www.texel.nl/mozard/!suite05.scherm1070?mNwb=91756&mNwc=129&fbclid=IwAR2lnlU9SmaEqQYzlA8Xxb9v4SXOpxI7Rb-y7aYCyqNXq0ERbe8I48k_pHc