Admiral Lord Nelson’s favourite Royal Navy ‘Eggs and Bacon’ comes under the spotlight

‘HMS Agamemnon – Navigating the Legend’ tells the story of a ship which fought in the Battle of Trafalgar and served the Royal Navy for nearly 30 years, before sinking - initially without trace - after being wrecked off the coast of Uruguay.

The future Lord Nelson served as her captain from January 1793 for more than three years and it is reported that he regarded her as his favourite. She was named after a prominent figure in Greek mythology at a time when classical names were the vogue. It is said that her crew did not like the name Agamemnon and so affectionately christened her ‘Eggs and Bacon’ - in the same way Bellerophon and Polyphemus became ‘Billy Ruffian' and 'Polly Infamous'.

Her wreck was rediscovered in 1993 after whelks from the Indo-Pacific ate the native mussels which had covered her hulk for more than 200 years. A team of maritime archaeologists has joined forces with experts from Uruguay to apply for permission to survey the wreck to see how to preserve her. The international project includes the National Museum of the Royal Navy as a partner.

The new exhibition, inside the Shipwrights Workshop at Buckler’s Hard on the banks of the Beaulieu River, includes a film detailing how the two nations are working together, a model of the 64-gun ship and other HMS Agamemnon artefacts.

Buckler’s Hard Director, the Hon. Mary Montagu-Scott, created the exhibition and attended the opening ceremony alongside Uruguay Ambassador César Rodriguez Zavalla and Naval Defence Attaché Captain Frederick Fontanot

She said: ‘I have created this exhibition to tell the story of how we will work jointly across nations to preserve the remains for future generations. The story is one that can bring our nations together, share the history, science and knowledge, and develop and celebrate our friendship through maritime archaeology. This project has the full support of the British Embassy in Montevideo and we are delighted they sponsored our exhibition film to promote the sharing of this important Royal Navy cultural heritage.’

HMS Agamemnon was built at Buckler’s Hard from 2,000 oaks and launched in 1781.

For tickets and details, see www.bucklershard.co.uk or call 01590 616203.