How long did the Mary Rose sink?
The Mary Rose lay on the seabed for over 400 years. Then in 1971, archaeologists diving in the area where it sank discovered the wreck. In 1982 it was lifted up from the bottom of the sea.
A French cavalry officer present at the battle stated that the Mary Rose had been sunk by French guns. A cannonball low in the hull would enable water to flood in, making the ship unstable and leading to her sinking. Perhaps that was why the ship turned so suddenly.
On 19th July 1545, during the Battle of the Solent, the Mary Rose sank with the loss of around 500 soldiers and sailors. Despite it happening in full view of the French and English fleets, there is still debate as to why she sank.
Our ability to use oars also meant we were able to move and gain an advantage. Our luck lasted an hour, and in that time the Mary Rose was sunk by our cannon fire. Out of 500 or 600 men, only 35 survived.
The bones of a total of 179 individuals were found during the excavations of the Mary Rose, including 92 fairly complete skeletons.
So, in 1994, the conservation team began to spray the wreckage with polyethylene glycol, a wax that penetrated the wood and replaced the water. Once the levels of penetration were high enough, they could turn off the spray, as they did on April 29, 2013, after 19 years, and allow the ship to dry.
Nearly all of the crew died. The Mary Rose sank in about 40 feet (12 metres) of water, and almost immediately attempts were made to raise the vessel. However, such efforts proved unsuccessful.
Only a handful of the ship's 500 crew survived when Henry VIII's flagship was sunk in the Solent in 1545. Remains of just over a third of the crew have been found, with the rest lost to the sea. The men on board the ship included officers, soldiers, gunners and mariners.
From the depths of the Solent to Portsmouth Dockyard, the Mary Rose Museum has been dramatically restored, costing £27 million in Heritage Lottery Funding. 9 galleries offer views of the ship, opportunities to take photos from the top deck and hands-on displays which detail Tudor technology and ingenuity.
Wine was only drunk by the richer people in Henry VIII's time. The officers on the Mary Rose drank wine as well as beer. Most wine came from France, but strong, sweet wine from the Mediterranean was very popular.
What wood was the Mary Rose made from?
1 The Mary Rose
It was built from elm and oak timbers and launched from Portsmouth Docks in 1511, representing the first big ship of the Tudor naval fleet, the forerunner to the UK's Royal Navy.
The Mary Rose is located within Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, just five minutes from Portsmouth Harbour, accessible by train and bus.
The hull was wired to the frame from the bolts. Hydraulic jacks then raised the hull a few critical centimetres to lift it from the suction effect of the silt below. Hanging from the frame, the hull could now be transferred into a steel cradle that was in place on the seabed to the west of the wreck.
Since her discovery at the bottom of the Solent in 1971 and refloating nine years later, more than 10,000 items, including clothing and weapons, have been recovered and preserved. The operation to lift the remains of the ship from the seabed cost £4 million and involved a complex floating cradle.
There may have been up to 700 men on board the Mary Rose when she sank, of which fewer than 40 survived.
NTSB: determines that the probable cause of the sinking of the Lady Mary was flooding originating in the lazarette through an access hatch that had been left open during rough weather, contrary to safe shipboard practice.
The Mary Rose is located within Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, just five minutes from Portsmouth Harbour, accessible by train and bus.
