British 18th Century ’First-Rate’ Warship and Bronze Cannon Discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration and Captured in Discovery’s Original Series TREASURE QUEST

-- Victory Subject of Thursday, February 5 Episode of 11-part Series --

(London and Silver Spring, Md.) Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) announced today that it has found the HMS Victory, believed to be one of Britain’s greatest historic shipwrecks and potentially an estimated value of one billion dollars for four tons of gold. Featured in the fourth episode of Discovery Channel’s world premiere original series TREASURE QUEST, to air in the U.S. on Thursday, February 5 at 10PM EST/PST, viewers will witness first-hand how each artifact and piece of evidence leads OME to this resounding conclusion. In the UK, viewers can tune in to a two-part special TREASURE QUEST: Victory Special beginning Sunday, February 8 at 9PM GMT.

“Discovery has a nearly 25-year history of documenting exploration as it unfolds and our series TREASURE QUEST is the latest example of being at the forefront of the action,” said John Ford, President and General Manager of Discovery Channel. “This ongoing series provides viewers with the perfect blend of adventure, knowledge and edge of your seat excitement. Being able to follow OME as they search the ocean floor for shipwrecks is a thrill ride each week.”

As reported by Odyssey Marine Exploration, they discovered and solved in 2008 one of the world’s most enduring naval mysteries. In 1744, HMS Victory, the direct predecessor to Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, was the largest and most sophisticated warship in the world. This first-rate, three-decked man-of-war is the only ship lost with a complete consignment of 110 bronze cannon, including colossal 42-pounders, the biggest guns in the world and the ultimate naval deterrent.

Victory was lost in the English Channel, presumably during a ferocious storm in October 1744, which took its more than 900 souls, including one of the greatest Admirals in British naval history, Sir John Balchin. The wreck site was discovered in a location approximately 100 kilometers from where it has long believed to have been lost, countering the legend that it was lost on the Casquet rocks due to faulty navigation and a lighthouse that had gone dim.

Online, viewers in the U.S. can dive deeper into the shipwrecks featured in TREASURE QUEST at discovery.com/treasurequest. Online features include shipwreck tours, disaster timelines and a treasure chest that details the types of coins and artifacts brought up from the depths. Users will get a closer look at life on a modern-day exploration vessel in exclusive webisodes, from gourmet meals (fruit sculptures!?) to MacGyver-like ingenuity and high-seas hijinks. Odyssey’s unique and spectacular shipwreck photomosaics and crystal clear images of previously undiscovered deep ocean sites will also be available on the site.

In the UK, viewers can visit http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/ to learn more about this hidden treasure. For territories outside the US and the UK, more information can be found at http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/int/.

TREASURE QUEST airs Thursday nights at 10PM EST/PST in the US. The series will premiere in the UK on Sunday, February 20 at 9PM GMT. TREASURE QUEST will also premiere on Discovery Channel throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific beginning this spring.

The series is produced for Discovery Channel by JWM Productions. Jason Williams and Bill Morgan are executive producers for JWM. Paul Gasek is executive producer for Discovery Channel.

Media can log on to press.discovery.com for additional information about TREASURE QUEST and today’s announcement, download photos, or to watch the February 2nd press conference with Odyssey Marine Exploration (video available after 12noon EST).

About JWM Productions
JWM Productions is one of the world’s leading non-fiction production companies. Their clients have included almost every major broadcaster in the US, the UK and around the world. Founded by multiple Emmy Award-winning producers Jason Williams and Bill Morgan in 1996, JWM has now filmed over 200 hours of high-definition broadcast programming, on six continents and in every situation imaginable.

TREASURE QUEST, their latest Discovery Channel series, was filmed between May and November in the Western Approaches to the British Isles as well as in the English Channel. During production, a rotating crew of producers, cameramen, and technical assistants lived, ate, and worked alongside the Odyssey Marine Exploration team. Further information about past and current JWM Productions projects can be found at www.jwmprods.com

About Discovery Channel
DISCOVERY CHANNEL (DSC) is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which reaches 98.1 million viewers in the US, can be seen in over 170 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.