2003 Diving Season - Page 1 of 5 - The Diving Begins

Twenty one years after the hull of the Mary Rose was brought to the surface, archaeologists are again diving on the wreck-site. Their goal is to recover objects left buried within the seabed outside the hull, together with any remains of the hardware left over from the original excavation.

The seabed has changed in the 21 years. Over 50cms of sediment has accumulated over the site. All of this has to be removed to find the evidence left over from the excavation of 1979-1982.

To clear the sediment, divers are using an underwater vehicle on wide rubber treads with a suction pipe attached to it. This can be operated from the surface and is used to remove the upper layers. This is similar to using a JCB on a land excavation.

The objects within this layer are mixed, which suggests that the seabed is being disturbed nearby and is being redistributed over an area which includes the site. The modern seabed is made up of slipper limpets and other shells, like oyster shells, flints and coal within a very fine silt. This layer contains a mixture of artefacts including nineteenth century porcelain and a domino which is probably from the time of HMS Victory. Because this is a mobile layer, we cannot date the objects more exactly. Some items have been found which relate to the excavation of 1979-82, including an on/off tap for one of our airlifts (still numbered ‘port 7') and a white coffee mug.