Recovered Tudor Warship Mary Rose Sets Record for Medieval Arms Recovery
The 16th-century English warship Mary Rose, sunk in 1545, was raised and has yielded the largest collection of medieval weapons ever recovered from a wreck.
The Tudor-era vessel Mary Rose, which sank during a defensive action in 1545 after wind and open gun ports flooded the hull, was finally salvaged in 1982. Ongoing exploration of the wreck has resulted in a Guinness World Record for the most medieval armaments ever recovered, with more than 8,300 weapons and ordnance documented. In addition to the armaments, archaeologists have identified thousands of assorted artifacts and the skeletal remains of 179 sailors.
Contemporary accounts, such as those by Imperial ambassador Francois van der Delft, described the loss as caused by misfortune and carelessness, noting that only about 40 of the 500 crew survived. Today, the restored ship is exhibited at Portsmouth dockyard, the site of its original construction over 470 years ago.
Why it matters
The discovery offers unprecedented insight into 16th-century naval warfare and Tudor-era shipbuilding.
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