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Two unidentified protected shipwrecks off Chesil Beach have left historian scratching their heads for the last decade. The sites are believed to date back to 1650-1733.

A team of Dorset divers is taking part in a project led by the Nautical Archaeology Society, commissioned by Historic England and supported by the Maritime Archaeology Trust.

A set of cannons lie tight inshore together with a stack of cannonballs, with a further site located a few hundred yards further out.
To date, despite site assessments their provenance remains unproven. A 2017 Historic England report says the identity is likely to be a significantly large 18th or 19th century ship judging by the size of the guns.

Volunteer diver Nick Reed from Swanage likened it to: "a bit like having all the pieces of a jigsaw without the box".

One possible candidate for the shipwreck identity is De Hoop or Hope, a 1749 wreck of a Dutch West Indiaman which stranded at Chesil Cove en route from Jamaica and/or America to Amsterdam, laden with gold and silver coin, linen, woollen goods and tobacco.

Photogrammetry equipment will be used to produce 3D modelling of the latest exploration.

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