Archaeologists are facing a “race against time” to explore the wreckage of an English ship that sank in a large storm for over 300 years.
Northumberland was a 70 -cannon -built battle ship, built in Bristol, England, in 1679, as part of the English Navy transformation under Samuel Pepys – now better known for its diaries – from a corrupt institution to a respectable combat force.
The ship sank on a sand bank on the coast of Kentsoutheast, during the devastating large storm of November 26, 1703, along with others: Restoration, Stirling Castle and Mary. Historical records suggest that about 250 crew perished in Northumberland.
The ship’s remains were discovered in 1979 when a fishing net became trapped.
Experts say the wreck, which covers a large area of the sea bed at a depth of 15 to 20 meters, is very well preserved by the sand and sediment of the seabed that covered it for hundreds of years.
Northumberland has always been partially covered by sand and sediments since its first discovery, making it difficult to exploit. But last summer, about two thirds of the ship were exposed and maritime were able to perform an exploration in deep waters.
The detailed survey revealed, among other things, an extensive hull structure, multiple iron cannons, swords, muskets, copper caldeirons and some sealed chests whose content remains unknown, said the Historic England in a press release.
The Historical Heritage agency states that it is now a “race against time” to record Northumberland’s details before the driving sands bury it again. It also says that wreck is also threatened by strong currents and creatures that pierce wood, which means it can become unstable and degrade quickly.
HEFIN MEARA, Historic England maritime archaeologist who commissioned the survey, explained to CNN why wreck location He played such an important role in his discovery and his current danger.
“Goodwin Sands, where this wreck is located, is really very dynamic,” he said. “You have these huge dunes of sand that migrate through the area, so a wreck will be completely exposed for some time and then the sand covers it and will bury it by five or six meters of sand, making it completely disappear for a decade or more.”
This is believed to have happened between when the ship, which according to Meara originally would have about 46 meters long, was first located in 1979 and more recently.
“It’s a very important war ship,” he said. “We have an exposed area of approximately 30 meters long, so it is not all the wreck exposed yet. We are looking at a wreck that will be spread through a very large area because it has gone through this period of exposure and reentry several times in the last 300 years, so it is dispersed to some extent.”
The team is planning more geophysical surveys while trying to find out how to make the most of this window before the sand covers Northumberland again, or it starts to degrade due to exposure to oxygen and other environmental factors, Meara said.
“These wrecks are an amazing resource because they sink and the loss happens in a single event,” he said. “This is a portrait of life aboard a war ship and everything is preserved there, so there is a huge opportunity to learn about what was happening during this incredibly exciting expansion of the Navy.”
The wreck is the subject of a new documentary made by historian Dan Snow for his streaming Hity Hit service. In Historic England’s statement, Snow compared the wreck to that of Mary Rose, a commissioned war ship under Henry VIII who famously sank in 1545, and HMS Victory, the oldest surviving commissioned in the world.
“Northumberland is the lost link,” said Snow. “Built approximately Mary Rose and HMS Victory, this wreck can fill crucial details about shipbuilding and life at that crucial moment of our history. We have Mary Rose, the” Time Time Capsule “, well, here’s a Stuart Time Capsule to accompany her.”
