Mary Rose

Mary Rose was an English warship commissioned during Henry VIII's reign in 1511. She served for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her last action on 19 July 1545. While leading the attack on the galleys of a French invasion fleet, she sank in the Solent, the straits north of the Isle of Wight.

Design and Construction

The details of Mary Rose's construction are not known because, unlike later 16th-century warships, she was built before the establishment of detailed naval records. However, the Mary Rose Trust's speculative design, based on the ship's known dimensions and the established practices of the time, suggests that she was built according to a new design concept that combined the best features of a caravel and a carrack.

Service

Mary Rose saw her first action in 1512 in a joint naval operation with the Spanish against the French. She was part of the fleet that attacked the French coast in response to the Battle of the Spurs. In 1522, she saw action in the campaign against Scotland and France, and in 1545 she was involved in the defence against the French invasion.

Sinking

On 19 July 1545, disaster struck the Mary Rose. While engaging a French invasion fleet, she sank in the Solent. The reasons for her sinking remain a subject of debate. Theories range from an overloading of heavy guns, to a gust of wind catching her sails while the gunports were open.

Discovery and Excavation

The wreck of the Mary Rose was rediscovered in 1971 and was raised in 1982 by the Mary Rose Trust in one of the most complex and expensive projects in the history of maritime archaeology. The surviving section of the ship and thousands of recovered artefacts are of immeasurable value to historians and archaeologists.

Legacy

Today, the Mary Rose is an important part of British naval history. The ship and her artefacts are displayed in the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.