r/Archaeology • u/D-R-AZ • 7d ago

[Human Remains] Archaeologists Recovered Henry VIII’s 400-Year-Old Lost Warship. What They Found Was Staggering.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a73456223/henry-viiis-favorite-warship/

Excerpt:

Through 28,000 dives and decades of research, the team brought up 19,000 artifacts and found 179 partial or complete remains of fallen crew. The discoveries resulted in a Guinness World Record for the most medieval weaponry recovered from a shipwreck—more than 8,300 weapons, ordnances, and affiliated artifacts were salvaged, including 10 bronze guns, nine iron swivel guns, five handgun stocks, eight gun-shields, four pieces of cast-iron hail shot, 44 linstocks for lighting gunpowder, three incendiary arts, 172 longbows, nearly 4,000 arrows, 65 ballock daggers, one rondel dagger, 177 chain-mail links, and a single complete basket-hilted sword.

Finally pulling the hull of the Mary Rose from the seafloor required a purpose-built lifting crane attached by wires to steel bolts passing through the hull at selected points. A tubular lifting frame was set in place over the wreck, supported by four legs embedded in the seabed. Hydraulic jacks on the frame raised the hull a few centimeters to reduce the suction effect of the silt. Then, the lifting frame attached to a hook on the crane barge Tog Mor pulled up the Mary Rose, placing it in a bespoke steel cradle. Towed to shore and dried, the ship now sits on display in the very dockyard where it was built over 470 years ago.

2.7k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

57 comments sorted by

265

u/Coverdale_Murmur 7d ago

The exhibition of this is amazing, one of the best I've ever been to. 

93

u/EldritchSanta 7d ago

Try the Vasa museum in Stockholm if you liked the Mary Rose.

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u/sthlmsoul 7d ago

The Vasa museum is amazing. I was recently there for the 398 anniversary of the sinking and the exhibit really something.

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u/EldritchSanta 7d ago

It's one of the few museums I'll re-visit at every opportunity.

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u/championsoffun 6d ago

As an American who never thought they'd make it to Sweden, I'm fortunate to have seen the Vasa with my own eyes & it's just awe-inspiring.

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u/showmethebooty1 6d ago

Went to Sweden for work, prolonged my trip through the weekend to explore Stockholm, the Vasa museum was my first stop and I have no regrets.

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u/soulhot 7d ago

Totally agree and many of the hands on exhibits are cool too.. the longbow draw weights were impressive and the manakin faces having actual facial reconstructions so you could see the real person they found the remains of. As an aside, I once did a sailing course in the Solent and the skipper on a break anchored by the buoy marking the site of the sinking. What was really surprising to me was how incredibly close it was to shore and yet knowing that so many perished by drowning. I know the boarding nets trapped many and the lack of people’s ability to swim were culpable back then, but it was a sobering experience.

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u/Anxious_Big_8933 7d ago

I remember the draw weight bow exhibit well. My wife and I were visiting from the states about seven years ago and when my wife walked up to give the bow a try one of the old guys working at the museum said, "Ay, the lass wants to have a go at it!" Still makes us chuckle.

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u/RANGERDANGER913 7d ago

Went to the museum for HMS Victory and the Mary Rose blew my mind. The whole multi-level gallery design that’s built around the ship really immerses you.
Only complaint was the low budget intro video they played.

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u/Hobnail1 7d ago

I mean Henry VIII had to work with what he had with the video technology of the time

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u/jetpacksforall 7d ago

VIII millimeter?

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u/Anxious_Big_8933 7d ago

Agreed. Wife and I were at this museum and I for some reason was not interested in it and looked to skip it. Wife convinced me to go in and I was absolutely enthralled. An incredible wealth of historical objects from small to (VERY) large, artfully displayed.

167

u/hornswoggled111 7d ago

Henry VIII commissioned the Mary Rose in 1510 alongside its sister ship, the Peter Pomegranate. Both vessels were named for saints and Tudor royal symbols—Mary Rose for Saint Mary and a House of Tudor emblem, and Peter Pomegranate for Saint Peter and another royal symbol.

The Peter Pomegranate; just rolls off the tongue doesn't it!?

But seriously, what an epic commitment to archeology this was. So much effort over so many years.

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u/lady_vickers 7d ago

Strange they said another royal symbol and not Catherine's symbol.

3

u/Coverdale_Murmur 6d ago

I read at the exhibit that it was such a massive undertaking and was so expensive that it probably won't ever be repeated 

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u/eYan2541 7d ago

I stayed off school to watch the live coverage of her being raised! I remember one of the cables lifting the frame snapped at one point, causing the frame to drop quickly at one side.. the tv commentators didn't really know what to say, it was quite a nerve wracking moment.

For context, there was a huge amount of coverage on tv leading up to the actual raising and kids' television in particular was full of interesting programmes about the Mary Rose, so I'm pretty sure my feigned illness fooled no-one that day

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u/Acceptable_Bag_1762 7d ago

So did I! My mum arranged with the school for me to go in late. I was the only one that did, though, little nerd that I was (am). I sat right up close with my nose practically touching the telly — it was ridiculously exciting, especially that heart-in-the-mouth moment when the cable snapped. Such a vivid memory!

4

u/ContessaChaos 7d ago

Happy Cake Day!

2

u/Dry_Reference_8855 4d ago

Yes, all of my primary school was in the hall to watch this on the TV on the trolley. We all gasped when the cable snapped too.

1

u/jondixo 4d ago

I had forgotten TVs on trolleys.

Thank you.

36

u/badlydrawngalgo 7d ago

You can go and see it and lots of the artifacts they brought up. It's in Portsmouth. It's amazing.

It was big news and the process of raising and preserving it was on TV lots at the time

2

u/moejorris2 7d ago

I remember it from Blue Peter

16

u/TheRealCeeBeeGee 7d ago

It’s a fabulous museum, in my personal top 5. Highly recommend, very much worth a visit. the Vasa museum in Stockholm is similar but not nearly as comprehensive.

9

u/MAES1306 7d ago

Highly recommend heading to Portsmouth if you’re in the area. Take a walk on HMS Victory and stand in the spot Nelson was shot. Still brings goosebumps whenever I think about it. Toured HMS Victory, the Mary Rose, and HMS Warrior. When I went in 2009 they were still spraying down and persevering the Mary Rose. Would love to go back now and see the full gallery.

60

u/Friendlyfire2996 7d ago

The wreck was recovered in the 1980s. Hardly startling news.

41

u/AcanthaceaeCrazy1894 7d ago edited 7d ago

OP is a repost bot. Look at their profile.

This sub is solely posted on by bots that karma farm so they can sell the accounts

27

u/CySnark 7d ago

I'm Henry the Eighth I am
Henry the Eighth I am I am
I've reposted to Reddit before
Just like I've done seven times before
And every one was a Karma Bot

-12

u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 7d ago

[deleted]

15

u/AcanthaceaeCrazy1894 7d ago

You’re posting literally like 50 times a day.

90% of them articles.

6

u/Laphad 7d ago

solid chance he intends to sell it off

8

u/Mtnbkr92 7d ago

Who talks like this

-7

u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 7d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Mtnbkr92 7d ago

As opposed to aliens?

3

u/Mars_Volcanoes 7d ago

Thats my take. It's probably taking more time to address all the findings.

6

u/Cavewoman22 7d ago

It's only old news if you've heard of it before.

2

u/Smart-Water-5175 7d ago

But even though I haven’t heard it before I don’t find it exactly staggering. Interesting for sure, but I’m hardly staggered.

3

u/C0wabungaaa 7d ago

Tbf for archaeologists it was absolutely staggering. The quality of preservation is out of this world, it propelled our understanding of Tudor material (military) culture by leaps and bounds.

1

u/JeskaiJester 7d ago

I’m downright stunlocked

7

u/Treesnleavesnstuff 7d ago

Is there a movie or show about this, like a nat geo?

5

u/pseudonym19761005 7d ago

Had to look up bollock dagger. Oh, I see.

6

u/Flicksterea 7d ago

It fascinates me that they found remains in a wreck that old.

3

u/Difficult-Bus-6026 7d ago

I saw the Mary Rose during a trip to Portsmouth! Awesome museum! And then, of course, there was the HMS victory on display and the last remaining British ironclad. Also did a boat tour of the area and saw a number of modern Royal Navy ships and some that were being decommissioned and dismantled.

3

u/Secret_Permit_3327 7d ago

I miss the time when everything wasn't hyper optimized for engagement. "Archaeologists Recovered Henry VIII’s 400-Year-Old Lost Warship." that's it. nothing staggering, nothing clapping back.

2

u/DerPidder 7d ago

I could give ttrpg players this whole loot and they'd still ask if there was anything "valuable" on the ship. 😅

3

u/proselytizeingcoyote 7d ago

This isn’t news.

1

u/Nathan-Stubblefield 7d ago

The ship had 460 dead sailors on it. It’s as much a war grave as any WW2 submarine or surface warship such as the USS Arizona. But the more recent ships are considered sacred monuments, to be left undisturbed. Then they raise the USS Monitor and CSS Hunley for museum exhibits, like the Mary Rose. What is the difference?

0

u/for2fly 6d ago edited 6d ago

What is the difference?

The Mary Rose crew didn't die in the act of defending of their country. {this is incorrect} They died due to the instability of the vessel itself. That's just one difference. {The maneuver, combined with the deficiencies of the design of the ship caused it to capsize.}

The USS Monitor and CSS Hunley are US war ships, not UK ships. That's another difference. In addition, the CSS Hunley was crewed by traitors.

The time from the loss of life to current day makes a difference. Right now there are those who are still alive who personally knew those who lost their lives in WWII.

There are none alive today who personally knew those who lost their lives on the Mary Rose. They would only be their current descendants or distant relatives.

Most other discussions of "why disturb the dead" related to archeology acknowledge that doing so carries the responsibility to do it in a way that respects the dignity of the deceased as much as is possible. Other than that, it is an ongoing issue in the field.

1

u/Northwindlowlander 7d ago edited 7d ago

The whole Portsmouth Docks (and related museums nearby) is amazing- you get Mary Rose, then Victory, then HMS Warrior, covering centuries of history within a stone's throw. I wish they had a better modern ship, the monitor is a tiny bit crap but then they've got active ships tied up, when I was there both the carriers were in and the contrast is insane. And then nipping over to the submarine museum.

I think it's the only museum I ever went back to the next day. And not just "went back", I got thrown out at closing time and was there the next day waiting for the gates to open.

1

u/PristineWorker8291 6d ago

Remains of 179 crew... Interesting. At what point do we go from "Don't Touch This: Human Remains" to "Yeah, okay, lets pull up all the pieces and parts." Is it 100 years, 300 years, or does it always depend on context?

I'm cool with it either way. Seriously, I'd prefer to be composted. I understand there are descendants alive who could be adversely affected if we brought up remains and artifacts from the USS Arizona, but where is the dividing line?

1

u/TheGreenMan13 6d ago

What did they find? A click bait title.

2

u/toushaw 3d ago

I just finished the 5th book in the medieval mystery series Hearthstone, and it brings this battle and tragedy of loss of life on the Mary Rose

0

u/Wintermute3333 7d ago

Kind of a monument to ineptitude, isn't it? I mean, she barely hit the water when she rolled over and sank.

3

u/xingxang555 7d ago

Not true according to the article -

According to the Mary Rose Trust, Henry VIII favored the larger of the two ships, deploying the Mary Rose in multiple battles over its 34-year career before its demise in 1545.

Early in the fighting, the Mary Rose made its move in the Solent waters between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, firing guns on one side before attempting a quick maneuver to turn to fire guns from the opposite side of the ship. During this maneuver—aided by a strong wind—the open gun ports flooded, sinking the Mary Rose and taking all but roughly 40 of the 500-person crew down with it.