- One of England’s most important shipwrecks to be brought back to life in Essex.
- Historic England, in collaboration with MSDS Marine and Licensee Steve Ellis from the London Shipwreck Trust, are mapping the wreck of The London.
One of England’s most important 17th-century shipwrecks, The London, is being brought back to life by experts, reports ITV.
The London, a 17th-century wooden warship that was formerly one of the Commonwealth Navy’s most prominent boats, sank in 1665 right off Southend Pier. After being buried for 350 years at the bottom of the Thames Estuary, state-of-the-art technology is being used to digitally map it in the hopes of saving some of the history.
The Wooden warship
Historic England, in collaboration with MSDS Marine and Licensee Steve Ellis from the London Shipwreck Trust, is funding the diving project. Its goal is to precisely map the layout of the wreck, which has been lying on the seabed in two halves. It was once part of the convoy carrying King Charles the second as he returned to reclaim the throne following the death of Oliver Cromwell.
This is one of only three wooden warships of its kind built in the 17th century. After being forgotten for for 300 years, it was rediscovered in 2012 by diving couple Steven and Carol Ellis from Leigh on Sea. Despite the fact that Steven and Carol are deeply familiar with The London, they jumped at the chance to collaborate with Historic England to digitally map the ship in the hopes of providing an accurate record before it deteriorates beyond recognition.
The big excavation
The site’s last major excavation seven years ago unearthed numerous valuables, including a bronze sundial, shoes, and, most notably, a gun carriage, and Steven and Carol continue to make finds on their monthly dives as the estuary bed exposes more of the wreck.
“That one, the really big one, that container ship will be passing the site soon. How many meters? 150 meters from the site? And you’ve got another one, another big container ship, outbound, that’ll be passing the ship very shortly. So it’s the wash and the wake of these ships that’s having an effect on the site,” said Steven Ellis, Licensee to the wreck of the London
As every shipping container passes the risk to The London increases, but the hope is, that this new technology can help save, or at the very least record, a special piece of the past, for the future.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: ITV
