Mary Rose (Henry VIII's warship)

The Mary Rose was a warship of King Henry VIII's Tudor navy. She was launched in 1511 and served for 34 years in wars against France and Scotland. She was one of the largest ships in the English fleet and one of the first sailing warships built for the job, with heavy guns that fired through openings in her sides called gun-ports.

On 19 July 1545 she led an attack on a French invasion fleet but sank in the Solent, the strait beside the Isle of Wight. Her wreck was located in 1971, and on 11 October 1982 the hull was lifted from the seabed in one of the most complex salvage projects in history. Today the ship and thousands of objects are shown in Portsmouth, England.

Why did she sink?

Nobody knows exactly. Records from the time disagree, and the evidence is not conclusive. Historians have tried to explain the loss using old documents, knowledge of 16th-century shipbuilding and modern experiments. A ship that sinks quickly in calm water close to home is a puzzle, and that is why the question is still discussed. Whatever the cause, the loss of such a large ship was a shock to the navy of King Henry VIII.

A Tudor time capsule

Because the mud covered part of the ship, the surviving hull and thousands of objects were well preserved. Weapons, sailing gear, naval supplies and the everyday things used by the crew have taught us about naval warfare and even the history of musical instruments. The raising of the hull in 1982 was a milestone for underwater archaeology. The hull is on display at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, beside the Mary Rose Museum.

On the globe

Look for the ship near Portsmouth and the Solent on England's south coast.