SOME OF OCEANS DISCOVERY’S PREVIOUS FILMING EXPEDITIONS




In 2004, a campaign to protect a vital area of maritime history in the Caribbean has been initiated by Oceans Discovery and launched in Jamaica following the discovery of three 17th Century English warships believed to be from the fleet of Henry Morgan. Records indicate that these ships were lost off the southern coast of Haiti off a small picturesque tropical island. Morgan’s main base was at Port Royal, Jamaica, which was the key strategic port in the New World during the 17th Century.

The international expedition team discovered what appeared to be the remains of 3 frigate class ships. Subsequently, an archaeological survey had to determine if one of these wrecks might be Morgan’s flagship the "HMS OXFORD" that fought so bravely in the famous Battle of Lowestoft in 1665.


The expedition team discovered the site in a methodical manner. Following extensive research they looked closely at the island of Isle A'Vache near Haiti, where the Oxford was anchored with other ships meeting for the next attack on the "Spanish Main".

Since 1999 the team eliminated systematically all areas which would have been unsuitable for anchoring such a large fleet. Finally, in 2004, after three expeditions, they locating three English shipwrecks, one of them possibly being the Oxford.



Owain Roberts of the University of Wales in Bangor, a leading Marine Archaeologist said:

“This appears to be a significant archaeological site set in coral. It is vital that careful and detailed surveying begins soon, but it must be done in a way, which protects both the artifacts and the fragile coral. This was a Commonwealth ship and remains of these are very rare”. “The coral encrusted mound - between 50 and 70 meters in radius has two cannons and concreted gunpowder barrels projecting from it – is the aft section of a major British warship and fits exactly what is expected to remain of the ship which lost its forward third when its powder magazine exploded”.

Several international TV-productions followed the discovery of these rare pirate ships (ITV, S4C, PRO7).


PRO7 - GERMAN BROADCASTER 2005


Oceans Discovery, whose expedition team discovered between 1999 and 2004 several of Henry Morgan’s pirate ships off the south coast of Haiti, has been involved with this documentary from the very beginning, providing script writers and producers with research material about Henry Morgan and his time frame. The documentary has been filmed on original locations in Port Royal, Spanish Town and Kingston, Jamaica. Re-enactments and some of the dive scenes have been taking place in St. Lucia.


„Piraten der Karibik - Wer Jack Sparrow wirklich war!”
The „Galileo Special“ - „Pirates of the Caribbean - Who Jack Sparrow really was“, is comparing Jack Sparrow alias Johnny Depp with Henry Morgan the famous Buccaneer, in a type of Hollywood myth versus historical relevance documentary.

In 2005 - This documentary received the 2nd-highest viewer rating in German television


LIST OF “OCEANS OF MYSTERY” DOCUMENTARIES 1996 - 2001 (Broadcast on Discovery Channels in over 112 countries)


# 01 "The Pilot" - Guysborough County, Halifax
# 02 "Marble Tomb" - Marble Island, Hudson Bay
# 03 "Torpedo Junction" - Newfoundland
# 04 "Silver and Sextant" - Gulf of St. Lawrence
# 05 "The Siege of Louisbourg" - Cape Breton Island
# 06 "Ground Zero" - Nova Scotia
# 07 "Search for the Lost Fleet" - Arctic, O'Reilly's Island
# 08 "The Empress of Ireland" - St. Lawrence Seaway
# 09 "The Wreck of the Antonio Lopez" - Porto Rico
# 10 "Dangerous Reefs" – St. Vincent & The Grenadines
# 11 "The Maltese Cross" - Maltese Islands

# 12 "The Mystery Schooner" - USA & Canada
# 13 "Arctic Sisters" - Northwest Passage
# 14 "The Fatal Flaw" – Nova Scotia
# 15 "Ghost ships of Lake Erie" - Lake Erie
# 16 "The Hunt for Southwold" - Malta
# 17 "Bluenose - The Final Journey" - Haiti
# 18 "Heroes of the Night" - Valletta, Maltese Islands
# 19 "Search for the Young Phoenix" - Buffalo U.S.
# 20 "The Arrow Disaster" - Cape Breton Island, NS
# 21 "Reefs at Risk" - Barbados
# 22 "The Long Point Wrecks" - Long Point, Great Lakes

26 half-hour episodes of "Oceans Of Mystery" have been produced in addition to the above.