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Sealed by Time gives a fascinating and accessible account of the groundbreaking underwater archaeological work and the raising of the hull, as well as the history of the ship.

On 19th July 1545 the Mary Rose set sail in the Solent, preparing to encounter the French fleet. This was not her first battle; she had previously taken part in several of Henry VIII’’s wars, and was the cutting edge technology of her day with innovative equipment and design. But on this day, something went drastically and tragically wrong; she suddenly and unexpectedly sank, for reasons that are still not fully explained. Of nearly 500 men on board, fewer than 40 survived. Trapped by netting, or below deck, they stood little chance, and their bodies and belongings went to the bottom of the sea. This created a unique time capsule that was finally revealed by an epic excavation culminating in the raising of the hull in 1982, an event watched by millions on television.

Because of the difficulties of conserving and stabilising many of the artefacts, detailed analysis of a lot of the assemblage has had to wait until it has been physically possible to handle and examine enough objects to be able to achieve a reasonable interpretation of them. Now after twenty years of painstaking preservation and research the story of this magnificent ship and the people who sailed in her can at last be told. The Mary Rose Trust, with the Heritage Lottery Fund, is publishing the ship and her contents in five highly illustrated volumes.

Sealed by Time: The Loss and Recovery of the Mary Rose, traces the history of the Mary Rose from great naval vessel to ruinous shipwreck to an outstanding museum display. Combining for the first time all that is known from contemporary documents and the archaeological evidence, Peter Marsden and a team of specialists give a fascinating and detailed overview of her history. They set out details of the circumstances of her building, participation in three wars with France, repairs and rebuilds, and finally the sinking in 1545. Also described are the place of the ship in naval and seafaring history, the novel aspects of her shape and construction, how she performed at sea, her structure, rigging and armoury. Bringing the story up-to-date, further chapters describe the project to excavate and salvage the ship. Subsequently, a museum was created able to display the massive structure, where the ship and artefacts are on display today at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth. Beautifully illustrated with contemporary paintings and documents as well as photos of the excavations and some of the 26,000 objects recovered, Sealed by Time is an important publication on an extraordinary piece of British history.

Peter Marsden is one of Britain’’s leading experts in maritime archaeology. He has been responsible for excavating a number of important shipwrecks, most notably in London. His major publications include two volumes on the Ships of the Port of London (English Heritage 1994) and Ships and Shipwrecks (Batsford 1997). He is currently Director of the Shipwreck Heritage Centre in Hastings.

 

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