Mary Rose

Virtual Tudors

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Grab a cup of coffee, my dears, and head over to Virtual Tudors. The site introduces itself with this:

When Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, sank in 1545 almost 500 people drowned. Now, almost five hundred years on, scientific analysis of their skeletons is providing new insights into Tudor history. This digital resource enables researchers around the world to join the project and study virtual 3D reconstructions of ten skulls belonging to members of the crew. Once fully developed, this technology can be applied to many more historic objects, bringing them to an even wider community of researchers while preventing damage to the original remains and artefacts.

You can View the 3D models, and learn about the Mary Rose.

Mary Rose sunk by French cannonball

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From The Telegraph: Mary Rose sunk by French cannonball.

For almost 500 years, the sinking of the Mary Rose has been blamed on poor seamanship and the fateful intervention of a freak gust of wind which combined to topple her over.

Now, academics believe the vessel, the pride of Henry VIII’s fleet, was actually sunk by a French warship – a fact covered up by the Tudors to save face.

The Mary Rose, which was raised from the seabed in 1982 and remains on public display in Portsmouth, was sunk in 1545, as Henry watched from the shore, during the Battle of The Solent, a clash between the English fleet and a French invasion force.

Traditionally, historians have blamed the sinking, not on the intervention of the French, but on a recklessly sharp turn and the failure to close gun ports, allowing water to flood in.

To exacerbate the situation, the craft, already overladen with soldiers on the top decks, was also struck by a strong gust of wind.

But new research, carried out by academics at the University of Portsmouth, suggests the ship was [continue].

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Spanish crew’s lack of English sank the Mary Rose

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From The Times: Que? Spanish crew’s lack of English sank the Mary Rose.

For generations, the reason why the Mary Rose sank during a battle with a French invasion force has divided historians.

Now a new theory can be added to the list of suggestions about why the pride of Henry VIII’s navy was lost: two thirds of its crew were foreigners who failed to understand orders.

Forensic science examinations of the 16th-century crew’s skulls have revealed that the majority were not British but southern European, most probably Spanish.

Researchers believe that the vessel’s fate was sealed because of their inability to understand their officers’ orders when it began taking on water in the Solent, off Portsmouth, in 1545. [continue]

Maritime ‘treasure trove’ raised

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From the BBC: Maritime ‘treasure trove’ raised.

A treasure trove of artefacts is being recovered from what experts describe as one of the most important maritime discoveries since the Mary Rose.

The late 16th Century shipwreck hails from a pivotal point in England’s military history.

The raised haul includes a 2m-long (7ft) cannon, which will give archaeologists an insight into Elizabeth I’s naval might. […]

Dr Mensun Bound, excavation leader and marine archaeologist from Oxford University, said: "This boat is really grade A in terms of archaeology – it is hard to find anything that really compares with it." [continue]