Sunken Secrets

Sunken Secrets, formerly the Underwater Archaeology Centre is a museum located in Fort Victoria on the Isle of Wight, England.The museum is run by the Maritime Archaeology Trust who are based in Southampton. It is housed in five of the fort's former casemates. Since it was opened in 1990 the museum has been used to display exhibits recovered from several local shipwrecks and the submerged landscapes of the Solent. These include the wrecks of HMS Pomone, HMS Invincible, the Yarmouth Roads Wreck and Bouldnor Cliff. The museum also houses an exhibition about the history of Fort Victoria itself.Like most attractions in the fort the museum only operates from Easter to autumn, during which time it opens daily and occasionally holds activity and community events which are advertised at the fort and in local press.HistoryAfter the wreck of HMS Pomone was discovered at The Needles in 1969, the Isle of Wight Council funded a team to research and excavate the site. In 1984 another wreck was discovered immediately offshore of Yarmouth and work began excavating that site as well. In 1990 the Isle of Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology was founded and began operating a museum at Fort Victoria called the Maritime Heritage Exhibition. Several finds from the excavations were displayed in the museum, whilst others went to the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth and Bembridge Maritime Museum.