The Raising of the Mary Rose: Archaeology & Salvage Combined - Page 1 of 8

C.T.C. Dobbs

Preface
This paper was first published in Underwater Archaeology Vol 21(1) by the Society for Underwater Technology, 76 Mark Lane London EC3R 7JN. It is based on a paper presented at the SUT International Conference on Man-made Objects on the Sea Floor, held on 1/2 February 1995 in London. Some alterations to the text have been made in this version for the internet.

Introduction
While much of the conference concentrated on the recovery of larger objects from deeper waters, this paper will give some indication of the problems associated with raising a fragile structure which also has great archaeological and historical importance. By describing some of the aspects of the salvage programme from the perspective of one of the archaeological divers involved with the raising of the Mary Rose, it is hoped that the article will also illustrate how important it is to integrate the professions of both salvage and archaeology. More recent work in the ship hall has been summarised elsewhere (Dobbs et al., 1990; Dobbs, 1995) and this article will concentrate on certain aspects of the salvage operations.

Aspects of the Salvage Operation
The decision on whether or not to salvage the hull of a historic ship is not an easy one to make. Due consideration has to be given to so many different factors, varying from whether it is technically and economically feasible to whether the funding can be sustained for the long-term restoration and conservation programmes that are required after salvage.

The 1978 excavation showed that salvage might be possible. Two major questions then had to be answered. Was it desirable to carry out a full excavation of the ship and her contents and then raise her?

Secondly, was this feasible? These questions were discussed at two meetings, specially convened by the Mary Rose (1967) Committee.One considered the first question, and was attended by archaeologists, ship historians, naval architects and museologists, who considered the archaeological evidence and the historical importance of the ship in cultural, social and military terms. They agreed that the Mary Rose should be completely excavated and recorded as she lay on the sea bed. They also agreed that if this was feasible, the hull itself should be recovered and brought ashore to form the centre-piece of a Tudor Ship Museum. The second meeting was attended by salvage consultants, salvage contractors, structural engineers and naval architects who agreed that it should indeed be possible to reinforce and recover the hull, although this could only be confirmed after the ship had been emptied and surveyed in greater detail. As a result of these two meetings, a charitable company, the Mary Rose Trust, was formed in January 1979 with objectives that included: "To find, to record, to excavate, raise, bring ashore, preserve, publish, report on and display for all time in Portsmouth, the Mary Rose (Rule 1982, 1983).

Although the original aim was to raise the hull if at all possible, the final decision to go ahead with the salvage operation was not taken until January 1982 when all the necessary information to make the decision was available. Even after that date there were various 'cut-off dates' when the decision to halt, survey and backfill could still be taken.

 

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