Discover our collection
The story of the Mary Rose spans almost 500 years. Find out more about the ship, her crew and the thousands of artefacts that have been recovered from the wreck site since the 1970s.
Explore our collection – there are 19,000 artefacts to discover!
- Before sinking, the Mary Rose saw 34 years of service as Henry VIII’s flagship
- The Mary Rose sank in 1545
- She was raised from the seabed in 1982.
Built in Portsmouth, the Mary Rose was launched in 1511. She sank during an engagement with a French invasion fleet just two kilometres from the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.
- Approximately 19,000 artefacts have been recovered from the wreck site
- So far, it has taken over 30 years to excavate
- Many artefacts have to be kept within environmentally controlled conditions to prevent them disintegrating.
Soon after the Mary Rose sunk, divers were hired to try and recover the ship and guns, but to no avail. The world had to wait 437 years to see the ship and the majority of her artefacts.
- The final recorded crew list contained 185 soldiers, 200 mariners and 30 gunners
- Most people on board were in their late teens or early twenties
- Only about 25 to 30 of the crew survived the sinking.
The members of the crew would have lived, worked and fought in cramped and overcrowded conditions on board. So far, excavations have found the personal remains of many of the crew members.
