Southend wreck similar to legendary 'Mary Rose'

After carrying out preliminary work on the wreck of “The London”, sunk near the coast of Southend, British archaeologists believe that the research carried out on it will be very similar in scope to that carried out on the famous wreck of the “Mary Rose”. Moreover, thanks to the characteristics of both vessels and the time period that separated their creation and sinking, they will provide many interesting answers about the development of British maritime science.

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The remains of the ship “The London” have been under water since 1665, when the vessel was sawn through in a powerful explosion and went to the bottom. In these dramatic circumstances, 300 of the ship’s crew lost their lives.

So far, tin spoons, coins and navigational instruments have been recovered from the sunken ship. A spokesman for the project in the context of these artifacts said that they may be similar to those recovered from the wreck of the “Mary Rose”. The main difference is, of course, the age that differentiates the two vessels. “The London” sank, in fact, 120 years later.

“Mary Rose” went down in 1545. After 34 years of service. It took place during the invasion of the French fleet. The wreck was recovered in 1982 and the total number of artefacts it yielded is in the region of 19,000!

Speaking of ‘The London’, to this day it is not known what actually caused the explosion that led to the sinking. The ship, built at the Cathem shipyard in Kent County, was on course for Gravesend when the explosion occurred. Nothing more can be said either by the investigators, who have already carried out 10 of the planned 15 dives. Their dives and the visual inspections carried out only confirm that the wreck is on the bottom in two parts with visible traces of the explosion.

Mark Dunkly, an archaeologist representing the English Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, claims that the well-preserved remains of the wreck seem to confirm all the information known so far from the chronicles. Steve Webster of Costwold Archaeology said that thanks to the wrecks of the “Mary Rose” and “The London”, scientists will have a unique opportunity to trace the changes that occurred in the naval design and equipment of ships between the early sixteenth century and the second half of the seventeenth century.

The wreck of ‘The London’ was discovered in 2005 during preparatory work for the bLondon Gateway Port development in Turrock.