The Discovery and Excavation of the Mary Rose - page 3 of 4

The Mary Rose was carefully excavated, divers using trowels and airlifts and gently wafting away the silt from around delicate artefacts with their hands. In some areas of the ship rather more robust methods had to be used to break up the concretion around masses of iron shot. The site was divided up with a grid of bright yellow gas pipe, so the divers could locate their position on the excavation. As artefacts and structural timbers were exposed, they were surveyed and recorded using a variety of techniques.

 

After the artefacts had been surveyed, they were bought to the surface and cleaned, recorded and packaged to be sent ashore. Here they were stored in controlled conditions to await the attentions of the conservation staff. While the more robust artefacts were easy to raise, others, such as the arrows, required purpose made lifting trays. Complete chests were raised intact so they could be excavated under controlled conditions, either on the diving vessel or later on shore.

Bob Field has written an excellent account of diving on the Mary Rose in 1975, you can read it here.

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