Floridians find British warship wreck in Channel

Florida deep-sea explorers who found $500 million in sunken treasure two years ago say they have discovered another prized shipwreck: a legendary British man-of-war that sank in the English Channel 264 years ago.

Odyssey Marine Exploration hasn’t found any gold this time, but it’s looking for an even bigger jackpot. The company’s research indicates the HMS Victory was carrying four tons of gold coins that could be worth considerably more than the treasure that Odyssey raised from a sunken Spanish galleon in 2007, co-founder Greg Stemm said ahead of a news conference set for Monday in London.

So far, Odyssey has recovered two brass cannons from the wreck of the Victory and continues to examine and map the debris field, which lies about 330 feet beneath the surface, Stemm said. The company said it is negotiating with the British government regarding collaborating on the project.

“This is a big one, just because of the history,” Stemm said. “Very rarely do you solve an age-old mystery like this.”