Will the Pandora ever be "raised"?

It is very unlikely that the Pandora will ever be raised-unless someone underwrites the raising with at least $50 million! This very large sum would be needed to build another special-purpose building so the raised hull could be conserved, housed, reconstructed and displayed.

However, in reality, there doesn't appear to be sufficient reason to raise the Pandora.

What's more, it's unlikely that it would make an effective or attractive museum display-we don't know if the remains would be recognisable as an intact structure.

It's not known exactly how much it would cost-but the costs are likely to be so high, they could never be justified.

It's not known whether the condition of the Pandora would enable it to be raised in one piece (like the Tudor warship Mary Rose, for instance).

The museum's interest in the Pandora-and what makes it significant from an archaeological perspective-is "what's inside". The artefacts and stories uncovered thus far have revealed unexpected insights into 18th century seafaring, not to mention an exciting and little-known part of Pacific history.

And we've really just gone beyond scratching the surface to date! Which is why ongoing excavation-to get to the "bottom of it"-is important. As well as timely conservation and imaginative and thought-provoking interpretation, of course!

This is further discussed in the 1995 expedition summary.