Bonaparte’s getaway ship found in Aus waters

A ship used by French military and political leader Napoleon Bonaparte to sneak back into France while he was in exile has been found in Australia, a media report said on Monday.

Australian filmmaker and shipwreck hunter Ben Cropp claimed that he found the final resting place of the “Swiftsure” in shallow waters off far north Queensland state, The Australian reported.

Cropp had to risk a dive in crocodile-infested waters off Lockhart River, towards the tip of Cape York Peninsula, to be sure he’d really found what he’d spent several years searching for. A distinctive line of keel bolts, ballast and pottery shards made Cropp <g data-gr-id="20">to confirm</g> his finding. Officials from the Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are now in the process of verifying the claim.

The significance of the find dates back to 1815 when Napoleon was living in exile on the island off Elba, off Italy, following a crushing military defeat during his march on Russia.

Napoleon escaped the island by commandeering a 337-tonne brig named “L’Inconstant”, later renamed the Swiftsure to retake his homeland, famously confronting the soldiers of King Louis XVIII and ultimately forcing the monarch into exile.

England later seized the brig as a war prize after the battle of Waterloo, renamed her and used her on the England-Australia shipping route.