MEMBERS of the public have been invited to examine and document maritime artefacts from a 274 year old battleship.

The Invincible 1744 project team have requested the help of the public to take part in the examination and documentation of articles recovered from the wreckage.

HMS Invincible, built by the French in 1744, was captured by the Royal Navy in 1747. However, it became wrecked in 1758 after hitting sandbank on leaving the Solent on its way to the French port of Louisbourg in Novia Scotia, Canada. The wreck was later found in 1980.

Various teams have been working on excavating the ship since. As of 2017 marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University (BU) have been working alongside the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) and the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust (MAST) in order to excavate and document as much as they can from the site.

Kevin Stratford, a marine archaeologist working on the Invincible, said: “This is your chance to get your hands on history.

“We are looking for people with a passion for history who want to come and get involved in something which will help us all in how we understand our past.”

If you are interested in taking part in the course please contact kstratford@bournemouth.ac.uk.