Napoleon's Sunken Ships: Years of Excavation Ahead
Aboukir, December 8th, 1998 - Following an underwater survey of
the bay of Aboukir, French marine explorer Franck Goddio and his team in
cooperation with the Egyptian Supreme Council for Antiquities began with
archaeological excavations on Napoleon�s fleet, sunk by Horatio Nelson on
August 1, 1798 in the famous Battle of the Nile.
In 1999, work will focus on several ships of the sunken fleet, including
Bonaparte�s flagship L'Orient that had been first discovered in
1983/84 by the late Jacques Dumas. It was
back then, when diving with Dumas in 1984, that now renowned underwater
explorer Franck Goddio first developed his fascination with marine
archaeology.
Goddio will now resume excavation work on the L'Orient and other ships
of the fleet. Artifacts discovered so far include artillery and ammunition,
personal objects of the crew, letters from a printing press, navigation
instruments and riggings as well as gold, silver and copper coins dating back
to the time of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI and the time of the French
Revolution.
In the summer of 1999, a film by Discovery Channel, Bethesda (USA), about the
Battle of the Nile will air worldwide under the title "Napoleon�s Lost
Fleet".
The financing of the excavations is provided by the Hilti Foundation of
Liechtenstein, which has been supporting Franck Goddio�s work for several
years.
