Grave in Norfolk of 119 sailors may be exhumed due to coastal erosion threat
Summary
A mass grave of 119 sailors from the 1801 sinking of HMS Invincible near Norfolk may be dug up to protect the remains from coastal erosion. Local officials plan to use ground-penetrating radar to find the exact burial site, with a charity proposing to rebury the sailors at sea near the shipwreck.Key Facts
- HMS Invincible sank off Norfolk in 1801 while heading to a battle with Admiral Horatio Nelson.
- Bodies recovered from the shipwreck were buried in a mass grave at St Mary’s church in Happisburgh.
- Coastal erosion threatens to expose the grave and remains in the near future.
- North Norfolk district council will use ground-penetrating radar this summer to locate the grave.
- The 1805 Club, a naval heritage charity, has requested to exhume the remains and rebury them at sea with Royal Navy help.
- Most sailors’ identities are unknown, but the ship’s captain, John Rennie, was among the dead.
- The sinking was caused by ignoring warnings about shallow sand ridges, with only 190 of 590 crew surviving.
- A memorial stone was placed in 1998 over the grave, quoting a biblical inscription about the sea returning the dead.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.