Almost 500 men were lost at sea during a storm off the coast of Cape Finisterre, Spain. Only 18 crewmembers were able to access a lifeboat when the ship capsized, and those who lost their lives included the ship’s designer, the ship’s commander, and the sons of several prominent politicians.

As the HMS Captain was lost at night during a storm, its exact resting place has never been identified. However, thanks to multiple philanthropists, historians, sponsors, Spanish television, and the family of the ship’s designer, Dr Fuller has worked with a local Galician fisherman to investigate several likely wreck sites and found a potential match!

The next step is to investigate this potential wreck site with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to discover if this location really is the final resting place of HMS Captain.

Working alongside videogame producers World of Warships, YouTube historian Drachinifel, and website designers Six Ticks, the project team are hopeful we can deploy an ROV this summer, before the autumn weather becomes treacherous.

Additionally, part of HMS Captain’s flag was rescued from the ocean the day after the disaster, and the flag was sent to the family of the commander, Captain Burgoyne. The flag has been ravaged by time, but thanks to the generous supporters of the Find the Captain project, the flag is being restored by UK specialists and we hope to display it in the future.

The sinking of HMS Captain has also caught the interest of celebrated marine artist, Geoff Hunt, famed for creating cover art for novelist Patrick O’Brian, author of Master and Commander and 19 other books about Captain Jack Aubrey. Hunt has agreed to paint a new work, depicting the sinking of the Captain, which will be displayed alongside the restored flag in the future.