HMS Swift (1763)

HMS Swift was built in 1762 at the shipyard of John Greave in Limehouse, on the banks of the River Thames, and launched in 1763. It was a sloop-of-war 28 metres (92 ft) in length and was armed with 14 6 pounders (2.7 kg) guns and 12 pedreros of ​1⁄2 pound. It sank along the coast of Puerto Deseado, Argentina in 1770.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Swift.
Swift drawn in 1763

The discovery of HMS Swift in Puerto Deseado represented the beginning of underwater archaeology in Argentina.[2]

The wreck

Based at Port Egmont in the Falkland Islands, Swift undertook an exploratory trip along the Patagonian coasts before the winter of 1770. A storm forced them to stop near the site of present-day Puerto Deseado to rest and dry their clothes. Entering the Río Deseado, they ran aground on a submerged rock and, although after getting rid of much of the cargo, they managed to free the ship, minutes later they came across a second uncharted rock. At 18:00 on 13 March 1770, Swift sank. Three of the ninety-one crew members (the cook and two soldiers) died. The cook's body appeared days later and he was buried after an impromptu funeral.[3][4]

References
  1. Elkin, Dolores; Argüeso, Amaru; Grosso, Mónica; Murray, Cristian; Vainstub, Damián; Bastida, Ricardo; Dellino-Musgrave, Virginia (1 March 2007). "Archaeological research on HMS Swift: a British Sloop-of-War lost off Patagonia, Southern Argentina, in 1770". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 36 (1): 32–58. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2006.00117.x.
  2. Delling, Virginia; Endere, María Luz (2001). "Browse journals by subject". Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites. 4 (4): 219–231. doi:10.1179/135050301793138209.
  3. "The Wreck of the HMS Swift". 20 February 2009.
  4. Dolores Elkin; Cristian Murray; Ricardo Bastida; Mónica Grosso; Amaru Argüeso; Damián Vainstub; Chris Underwood; Nicolás Ciarlo. "EL NAUFRAGIO DE LA HMS SWIFT -1770- Arqueología marítima en la Patagonia - Vazquez Mazzini Editores". www.vmeditores.com.ar. ISBN 978-987-9132-32-6.
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