Bob Field's Story - Page 1 of 7

 

Working on the Mary Rose, Summer '75

We knew it was dawn from the noise of the sparrows coughing outside our tent on Hayling Island. Yes we were poor in those days, typical Mary Rose divers. It was time to drag our still weary bones out of our sleeping bags, have a quick wash and shave before the rest of the campers woke up, maybe 3 hours later! Then into the car and join the rush of workers heading through the morning haze to the Portsmouth Naval Base.

We turned off to the Camber Dock where the 40ft catamaran Roger Grenville (named after the Mary Rose's captain, and father of Richard Grenville of Revenge fame) awaited us. The height of the tide decided how we got aboard, down the ladder, or jump onto the roof. Either way was fraught with the danger of dropping valuable items like food, milk, someone else's diving gear etc. Then we welcomed any new divers on board, and initiated them into life on board etc.

Once on board the food and gear had to be stowed away somewhere in the cabin. It was the foolhardy who left anything in Mac's seat. I made that mistake on the first day on board. And I still remember being 'corrected' by this stern old guy, who everyone revered! After all, finding the Mary Rose was his idea. We later became friends, but it wasn't the best start for a budding archaeological diver!

The beginning of the diving day was usually quite civilized as all the housekeeping had been done the night before, just a matter of emptying the cabin of all the air cylinders, wet suits, dive gear etc. and stacking it all outside on the rear deck ready for the days diving.

The most important job of all was of course boiling the water to start the continuous supply of cups of tea, that only stopped when we returned to the Camber that evening.

Usually Adrian Barak, the diving officer, navigated the boat out of the Camber, to either to the fuel pontoon, which was right, up the harbour, with a good view of H.M.S. Victory, or we went left and straight out to sea, past Henry VIII's Round tower at the harbour entrance, and past the Submarine tower on the Gosport shore. On the way out to the site the first 2 divers start kitting up, ready for a quick entrance into the Spithead sea.

30 minutes later, after dodging the various ferries and hovercraft, going past Henry VIII's Southsea castle, then one of the Napoleonic forts, we arrived at the two large BP mooring buoys, over the resting place of the 'old girl'. The Roger Grenville was then moored between the buoys, the positioning dependent on the direction and flow of the tide. The up-tide buoy was tied onto first, then the boat was maneuvered back onto the second buoy. The dive ladder was fitted over the stern platform, and the descent line buoy was recovered, and attached to the ladder or a nearby deck cleat. Sometimes on a high Spring tide, the buoy could be well under the surface. The descent line was our guide line to the site. On the seabed this was fastened to the top of Frame number 48, (now renumbered), which was around the front of the aftercastle, on the port side. The dive flag, Alpha, was hoisted at the top of the mast to show to other shipping that we had divers down and to keep clear. The log keeper, usually Alison (then Barak), then started taking the all important diving records for the day.

On the trip out to the dive site, the site directors, Mac and Margaret, would explain what work they hoped to achieve that day, and the divers would be given their orders.

 

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