Mary Montagu-Scott
It will tell the story of Lord Nelson’s favourite ship, built and launched in 1781, and after a 28-year Naval service record, including the Battle of Trafalgar, ended up wrecked off the coast of Uruguay in 1809. Returning from diving on the wreck, Mary has fulfilled her long held dream to see the wreck, along with a team of maritime archaeologists from the UK and Uruguay, seeking to record and preserve the wreck and its legacy. Despite the odds, the wreck, built from 17th century Beaulieu Oak trees, has survived under the sea, miles away from her home, remaining the only surviving Buckler’s Hard built ship in the world.
As well as looking at the original Agamemnon, this talk will also touch on the 6 Royal Navy “Agamemnon’s”, including the recently launched Astute class hunter killer nuclear submarine.
Mary Montagu-Scott is a keen sailor and diver and is passionate about Maritime history and heritage. She is on the board of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, HMS Medusa Trust, and HMS Victory Preservation Company.
Mary said “I am looking forward to sharing the fascinating story of the Royal Navy Agamemons and how it started in the Hampshire village of Buckler’s Hard.”
She has recently founded a new trust, the Buckler’s Hard Shipyard Trust: a new educational and heritage charity that will deliver projects, courses, talks, living history, demonstrations and outreach – both on-line and on-site – and build skills, knowledge and collections relating to its shipbuilding heritage. It will be based in the village in a cottage office at No 75 Buckler’s Hard – and in the old shipyard area and slipways. Its first big project will be the archaeology and restoration of the NO 2 Slipway to allow a full size replica keel to be laid of the HMS Agamemnon, based on both of the original ship plans and the data from the wreck.
Historian, presenter and patron of Hampshire History Trust, Dan Snow added “This is the exciting story of how a ship built in a tiny village, on a small river, on a little island, helped to change the course of human history.”
This talk will be taking place on Saturday 18th January, from 7:30 – 8:30pm, at The ARC, Winchester, SO23 8SB. Come along to discover the secrets of one of Britain’s greatest ships.
For more details and to book tickets, see the Hampshire History Trust website.
