Mary Rose Archaeological Services - Current Projects - Page 3 of 3
Stirling
Castle - Goodwin Sands
In December 2002 a complete gun and
carriage last seen in 1701 will be raised to the surface.
MRAS will be surveying, cleaning and conserving the gun and
carriage for display in 2005.
HMS Colossus
In June 2002 a large ornately carved
and decorated wooden statue of a warrior figure was raised
from the wreck of HMS Colossus. The story of the lift was
featured in a Channel4 Time Team ® special in October.
MRAS was present at the lift and is responsible for the conservation
of the artefact.
Kind permission of Kevin Camidge
HMS Roebuck
A bell and shell retrieved from the wreck of William Dampier’s
HMS Roebuck, have been conserved by MRAS. The artefacts are
historically significant, since Dampier (1652-1712), a famous
explorer, navigator and buccaneer, visited Australia’s
West Coast 80 years before Captain James Cook sailed for the
continent on board the Endeavour.
Artefacts retrieved from the wreck of William Dampier's HMS Roebuck, which sank off Ascension Island in 1701, have been preserved by conservators at Portsmouth's Mary Rose Archaeological Services.
The finds are of major historical significance, since Dampier (1652-1715), a famous explorer, navigator and buccaneer, visited Australia's West Coast 80 years before James Cook sailed for the continent in the Endeavour.
Their discovery also enables the retrospective charting of Dampier's voyage on HMS Roebuck, during which he landed on Shark's Bay in 1699 and several East Indies isles during 1700.
Among the artefacts discovered were a bronze Royal Navy bell - inscribed with the broad arrow used by all Royal Navy ships; a giant clam shell, which they believe Dampier, a renowned natural scientist, collected as he explored the west coast of Australia and ceramic shards said to derive from Indonesia.
"The bell was badly corroded" explains Dr Mark Jones, Conservation Director for Mary Rose Archaeological Services: "but we have managed to stabilise it. The clam shell is a magnificent specimen and originates from the Indo-Pacific region. We are very excited to be working with such significant relics and securing this contract illustrates the type of work the Mary Rose now undertake internationally."
Mary Rose Archaeological Services Ltd (MRAS), the commercial conservation company set up by The Mary Rose Trust, custodians of Henry VIII's famous warship Mary Rose, were approached by Geoffrey Fairhurst, the British administrator of Ascension Island, following the discovery of the wreck by a team of divers led by Western Australian Maritime Museum archaeologists, earlier this year.
Dr McCarthy, who led the expedition said the discovery was of "immense historical significance" for Australia because Dampier had discovered the archipelago named after him off the west coast of the country and Shark Bay, some 620 miles north of Perth.
Since HMS Roebuck was one of His Majesty's ships, sinking during the reign of William III, the Ministry of Defence have jurisdiction over the relics. "The relics were offered to the Mary Rose as Britain's leading conservation institution as a matter of both courtesy and obligation given that they belong to Britain," explained Dr Mike McCarthy. Discussions are now taking place as to an appropriate home for the conserved artefacts
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